INTERNATIONAL DEVELOPMENT

Emergency Aid

Philip Hollobone: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what steps he is taking to develop a rapidly deployable reserve of tentage and medical supplies with associated aerial lift capability for future emergencies (a) unilaterally and (b) multilaterally following the recent experience in Kashmir.

Gareth Thomas: DFID has warehouses in three locations containing relief supplies including tents, plastic sheeting, tarpaulins and jerry cans. The warehouses are located in Marchington (UK), Dubai and Miami to ensure rapid deployment to disaster prone areas. DFID do not stockpile medical supplies because this is best managed by specialist agencies such as the World Health Organisation and suppliers of medical relief items which keep stockpiles that are readily available and can be used following a disaster. DFID's own stockpiles augment those of multilateral agencies such as the UN and Red Cross Movement.
	DFID has an existing arrangement for airlift capacity through an air charter brokerage service. The recent UN Humanitarian Response Review Report includes consideration for improving airlift capacity. We are discussing with other agencies, our response to this report.

WALES

Council Tax Revaluation

Caroline Spelman: To ask the Secretary of State for Wales pursuant to the answer of 18 October 2005, Official Report, column 852W, on council tax revaluation, if he will list the (a) addresses of the properties that have moved up six bands and (b) local authority areas in which they fall.

Nick Ainger: It would not be appropriate to list the private addresses of such properties. However, information about the valuation history of an individual property can be found on the Valuation Office Agency website: http://www.voa.gov.uk/. A local authority breakdown is in the following table:
	
		
			  Local authority Number of properties moving up six bands 
		
		
			 Isle of Anglesey 3 
			 Gwynedd 3 
			 Conwy 2 
			 Denbighshire 3 
			 Flintshire 5 
			 Powys 37 
			 Wrexham 5 
			 Cardiff 1 
			 Bridgend 0 
			 Rhondda Cynon Taff 4 
			 Vale of Glamorgan 2 
			 Ceredigion 1 
			 Carmarthenshire 2 
			 Pembrokeshire 2 
			 Caerphilly 1 
			 Merthyr Tydfil 0 
			 Monmouthshire 10 
			 Blaenau Gwent 0 
			 Newport 2 
			 Torfaen 0 
			 Swansea 2 
			 Neath Port Talbot 0

Departmental Vehicles

Bill Wiggin: To ask the Secretary of State for Wales how many vehicles for which the Department is responsible are fitted with retreaded tyres.

Nick Ainger: Since the Wales Office was established in July 1999 we have not procured any vehicles. For information on the use of retread tyres in vehicles made available to us by the Government Car and Despatch Agency, I refer the hon. Member to the letter of 11 October 2005 written to him by the Chief Executive of the GCDA, reference UIN15087 and UIN15088. Copies of the letter are available in the Library.

National Assembly Elections

Bill Wiggin: To ask the Secretary of State for Wales what plans he has to introduce national lists for elections to the National Assembly for Wales.

Nick Ainger: The Government have no plans to introduce a national list for elections to the National Assembly for Wales.

National Assembly Elections

Bill Wiggin: To ask the Secretary of State for Wales what plans he has for the reform of elections to the Welsh Assembly.

Nick Ainger: The Government's proposals for the current electoral system are set out in chapter 4 of the Better Governance for Wales" White Paper, which was published on 15 June 2005.

Sustainable Development

Mark Williams: To ask the Secretary of State for Wales what he has identified as the most significant sustainable development impacts in relation to operation of the estate of his Department.

Nick Ainger: The Wales Office is a separate entity within the Department for Constitutional Affairs (DCA), and owns one building in London and leases office space in Cardiff. The DCA Estates Management Manual is being reviewed and will have notable impact on the Office's operations, and how they support sustainable development.

Sustainable Development

Mark Williams: To ask the Secretary of State for Wales what progress has been made on his Department's Sustainable Development Strategy.

Nick Ainger: In June 2003 the Wales Office became a separate entity within the Department for Constitutional Affairs (DCA). Progress with the relevant Strategy Plan is shown on DCA website, www.dca.gov.uk/dept/sustaindev/sustaindev.htm with publication of the final document planned for this autumn.

Sustainable Development

Mark Williams: To ask the Secretary of State for Wales what reduction there has been in water consumption by his Department between 2002 and 31 March 2005.

Nick Ainger: The Wales Office installed a water meter in June 2003. Monitoring of water consumption began in financial year 2004–05.
	The Wales Office has no comparative data for previous years.

TRADE AND INDUSTRY

Departmental Staff

Nick Gibb: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what assessment he has made of the (a) literacy and (b) numeracy skills of new recruits to his Department.

Alan Johnson: Literacy and numeracy skills assessment form part of the routine consideration of applications for posts in this Department.

Nuclear Plants (Insurance)

Michael Weir: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what the cost was of insuring each nuclear plant in the UK in each of the last five years; what the projected costs are for each of the next three years; and if he will make a statement.

Malcolm Wicks: holding answer 31 October 2005
	While current legislation requires nuclear operators to cover their liabilities through insurance (the Nuclear Installations Act 1965), the actual insurance costs for the nuclear industry are a private commercial matter between the operators and their insurers.

Office of Fair Trading

Charlotte Atkins: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what criteria the Office of Fair Trading uses (a) to prioritise the investigation of cases referred to it and (b) to decide which cases not to investigate.

Gerry Sutcliffe: holding answer 31 October 2005
	The funding of UK merger cases takes priority over other anti-trust work in Competition Enforcement Division because of the OFT's statutory responsibilities in relation to merger work. Where necessary in managing demand, staff are reallocated to merger work from other parts of the division. The division also gives priority to defending appeals against its anti-trust and merger decisions.
	Anti-trust investigations are prioritised by considering a number of factors. These include: identification of possible consumer detriment, whether there is a reasonable prospect of the OFT being able to find sufficient further evidence to reach an infringement decision, the type of alleged infringement, aggravating or mitigating factors due to the conduct of the undertakings, the precedent value in taking such a case (including whether or not the potential breach is within one of the OFT's published priority themes) and whether the division is best placed to take the case forward.
	We open over 1,200 preliminary enquiry cases each year. The above criteria may also be used as a framework to decide whether or not a case should be rejected. A lack of resource would not, in itself, be a determining factor in deciding whether or not to investigate a case.
	
		
			  UK mergers examined References to the CC 
		
		
			 1995 473 9 
			 1996 533 14 
			 1997 396 10 
			 1998 425 8 
			 1999 415 10 
			 2000 315 14 
			 2001 356 10 
			 January 2002 to March 2003(1) 414 21 
			 April 2002 to March 2003 318 13 
			 April 2003 to March 2004 270 12 
			 April 2004 to March 2005 257 18 
		
	
	(1) The OFT's Annual Report changed from calendar year to financial year during this period.
	
		Staff employed by Competition Enforcement Division (and its predecessor within OFT): Based on the number of staff in post at the last day of each year
		
			  Number 
		
		
			 2004 165 
			 2003 158 
			 2002 143 
			 2001 112 
			 2000 98 
			 1999(2) 69 
			 1998 53 
			 1997 51 
			 1996 46 
			 1995 42 
		
	
	(2) Competition Enforcement Division was restructured on 1 December 1999 in anticipation of the coming into force of the major provisions of the Competition Act 1998.

Office of Fair Trading

Charlotte Atkins: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what the average length of time taken by the Office of Fair Trading was to complete a case investigation in the last period for which figures are available.

Gerry Sutcliffe: holding answer 31 October 2005
	The information is as follows:
	Mergers
	We do not measure the average time to complete an investigation. Pre-notified mergers are considered under a statutory deadline for completion of 20 days. This can be extended by a further 10 days. Informally notified cases have an administrative deadline of 40 working days. Our published target is to achieve the latter in 90 per cent. of cases. Completed mergers have a four-month statutory deadline. In 2004–05 we met our statutory target in all cases, and our administrative target in 84 per cent. of cases.
	Anti-trust investigations
	As each investigation is unique, there is no useful average length of time taken to complete an investigation under the Competition Act 1998, although some guidance can be given about the timescale for an investigation depending upon the outcome in each case:
	investigations that result in an infringement decision can be very lengthy, the lengthiest investigation to date has taken five and a half years; the largest group (about 40 per cent.) of investigations took between two to three years from the date of opening the case to the date of decision;
	non-infringement decisions are generally completed more quickly; the majority of investigations are concluded in less than two years;
	investigations can also be resolved informally, or closed for other reasons. The majority are resolved or closed within one year.

Office of Fair Trading

Charlotte Atkins: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry how many cases the Office of Fair Trading decided not to investigate on the basis of availability of resources in each of the last 10 years.

Gerry Sutcliffe: holding answer 31 October 2005
	All merger cases notified to the OFT are examined. Resources are allocated from other parts of the division to handle merger cases where necessary to manage demand.
	For all other anti-trust work, the Competition Act 1998 did not come into force until March 2000. The new regime is fundamentally different in character to the previous competition enforcement regime. This answer is therefore confined to the current regime.
	Available resources are only one factor taken into consideration when deciding which cases should be investigated. The response to PQ No. 20382 answered today explains the other considerations. A lack of resource would not, in itself, be a determining factor whether or not to investigate a case.

Office of Fair Trading

Charlotte Atkins: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what account the Office of Fair Trading takes of available resources in the selection of cases to be investigated.

Gerry Sutcliffe: holding answer 31 October 2005
	All merger cases notified to the OFT are examined. Resources are allocated from other parts of the division where necessary to manage demand.
	For all other anti-trust work, available resources are only one factor taken into consideration when deciding which cases should be investigated. The response to PQ No.20382 answered today explains the other considerations. A lack of resource would not, in itself, be a determining factor whether or not to investigate a case.

Office of Fair Trading

Charlotte Atkins: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry how many cases were investigated by the Office of Fair Trading in each of the last 10 years; and how many staff were employed by the Office of Fair Trading in each year.

Gerry Sutcliffe: holding answer 31 October 2005
	The main provisions of the Competition Act 1998 came into force on 1 March 2000.
	
		
			  Complaint cases opened (including cartel cases) Investigations launched Decisions made 
		
		
			 2000(3) 1,475 (92) (4)23 0 
			 2001 1,298 (76) 63 8 
			 January 2002 to March 2003(3) 1,382 (55) 70 17 
			 April 2002 to March 2003 1,141 (31) 54 14 
			 April 2003 to March 2004 1,140 (46) 41 8 
			 April 2004 to March 2005 1,173 (27) 17 9 
		
	
	(3) From 1 March 2000.
	(4) From 1 August 2000.
	Note:
	UK mergers examined:
	(i) Under the Enterprise Act 2002 from 1 June 2003.
	(ii) Under the Fair Trading Act 1973 prior to 1 July 2003.

Tesco

Mike Hancock: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry how many (a) postcards and (b) emails he has received in 2005 making representations on (i) Tesco plc and (ii) the Tescopoly campaign.

Gerry Sutcliffe: I refer the hon. Member to the reply I provided on 18 October 2005, Official Report, column 911W.

UK Trade and Investment

Norman Lamb: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry if he will place in the Library a copy of the report prepared by Ernst and Young which considered the legitimacy of expenses incurred by staff of UK Trade and Investment.

Ian Pearson: holding answer 25 October 2005
	It would be inappropriate to publish the report in question, which contains material relevant to internal civil service management processes that have not yet been completed.

UK Trade and Investment

Norman Lamb: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry how many employees of (a) his Department and (b) UK Trade and Investment are under suspension due to a disciplinary investigation.

Ian Pearson: holding answer 25 October 2005
	There are currently no members of the DTI or UK Trade and Investment under suspension due to a disciplinary investigation.

UK Trade and Investment

Norman Lamb: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what the total employees' expenses budget for UK Trade and Investment was in each of the last five years.

Ian Pearson: holding answer 25 October 2005
	UK Trade and Investment is not an employer in its own right. The expenses of staff deployed on its work are met by its parent departments. The total amount allocated to UK Trade and Investment for travel and subsistence in 2003–04, the latest year for which full figures are available, was £8.4 million, and £7.7 million in 2002–03. These figures exclude living allowances for Foreign and Commonwealth Office staff living abroad. Comparable information for earlier years is not readily available.

UK Trade and Investment

Norman Lamb: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what rules apply to the payment of expenses to employees of UK Trade and Investment.

Ian Pearson: holding answer 25 October 2005
	UK Trade and Investment does not employ staff on its own account. The people working on UK Trade and Investment activities remain employees of their parent departments, or are contracted to those departments. Insofar as they claim expenses, they would have to do so under the rules of the department meeting the particular claim.
	The payment of expenses to civil servants and those contracted to work for Government Departments, is governed by the principles of good financial management as set out in Government Accounting and the Civil Service Management Code.

UK Trade and Investment

Norman Lamb: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry how many websites are maintained by UK Trade and Investment aimed at helping businesses to trade with overseas countries; which (a) region and (b) overseas country is targeted by each website; and how many visits to each website there were in 2004–05.

Ian Pearson: UK Trade and Investment (UKTI) maintains a number of websites designed to meet the needs of our different customers. The main site is www.uktradeinvest.gov.uk. Country specific sites are provided to address particular customer needs and to publicise opportunities in the UK for foreign businesses. UKTI's English regional network has developed sites where this has been agreed with regional partners as part of individual regional strategies. These aim to complement the information on the main site. The remainder of the international network provides information on trade and investment opportunities via relevant areas on their local embassy or consulate sites provided via the FCO. Details on the UKTI sites focused on countries and the regions are listed as follows:
	
		
			 Website address Countries Usage data 
		
		
			 National sites   
			 http://www.uktradeinvest.gov.uk All countries (5)Not available 
			 http://www.overseas-trade.co.uk/ All countries (6)6,739 
			
			 Country specific sites   
			 http://uktradeinvest.britaus.net/ UK and Australia Not available 
			 http://www.uktradeinvestcanada.org/ UK and Canada (7)Not available 
			 http://www.cbbc.org/ UK and China (8)Not available 
			 http://www.westmarche.co.uk UK and France Not available 
			 http://www.uktradeinvest.de/ UK and Germany (9)10,357 
			 http://www.ibpn.co.uk/ UK and India (10)Not available 
			 http://trade.uktradeinvest.jp/ukdirectory/ UK and Japan (11)Not available 
			 http://www.mexbritbusiness.org/ UK and Mexico Not available 
			 http://www.uktradeinvest.co.nz/ UK and New Zealand Not available 
			 http://uktradeinvestusa.com and http://uktradeinvestusa.org/ UK and USA (12)210,552 
			
			 English region sites   
			 http://www.exporteastofengland.org.uk Eastern region (13)91,022 
			 http://www.itrade.org.uk/ Eastern region (10)Not available 
			 http://www.emids.uktradeinvest.gov.uk/ East Midlands (5)(5508270006)17,923 
			 http://www.exportnortheast.com/ North East region (5)(5508270006)278,310 
			 http://www.uktisoutheast.com South East region (5)(5508270006)10,700 
			 http://www.china-swengland-business.info/ South West region (5)(5508270006)10,699 
			 http://www.passportwm.org.uk/ West Midlands (5)(5508270006)226,454 
		
	
	(5) Site was moved to a new technical infrastructure in September 2004. Information about hits on the new site was not available until August 2005. Data for the period 1 August 2005 to 30 September 2005 totalled 169,235. Comparable data from the previous system are not available.
	(6) Data are for period August 2004 to July 2005 and are for unique visitors.
	(7) Site receives approximately 265 visits per day (approx 97,000 per annum).
	(8) Site is not managed by UKTI but funding is provided via grant in aid to the China-Britain Business Council.
	(9) Data refer to visits for period October 2004 to September 2005.
	(10) Site introduced in October 2005. Visitor statistics not yet available.
	(11) Site was launched in June 2005 to promote UK creative companies and forms part of www.uknow.or.jp site. Visitor statistics are not available.
	(12) Data refer to total sessions on the site in 2004–05.
	(13) Data refer to total visitors to the site between April 2004 and March 2005.
	(14) Site is provided to support Passport (a programme to develop clients' trade development capacity) customers in the Eastern region.
	(15) Data are for period August 2004 to March 2005 only.
	(16) Data are for the period July 2004 to March 2005.
	(17) Site went live April 2005. The data on visits are for period April to September 2005.
	(18) Data relate to hits since launch in October 2004.
	(19) Site was launched in March 2005 to support Passport customers. Data refer to page views to September.

PRIME MINISTER

Avian Influenza

Philip Hollobone: To ask the Prime Minister if he will ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, at every meeting of the Cabinet for the duration of the threat, to present an update on the threat of avian influenza coming to the UK.

Tony Blair: The Cabinet has been regularly kept informed of the threat posed by avian influenza to the UK.

TRANSPORT

Cambridgeshire County Council

David Howarth: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what the reasons are for his Department's ruling that Cambridgeshire county council may not decide whether it should install signs saying No Entry Except for Cyclists or No Entry Except for Buses but must follow a central standard.

Karen Buck: holding answer 28 October 2005
	The design and use of traffic signs is specified in national regulations so that signs will be used consistently and safely. No-entry signs are safety critical signs that are used with physical barriers or to prevent conflicts and collisions between opposing streams of traffic. The combination with Except buses" plates has been permitted for contraflow bus lanes in one-way streets or other bus-only facilities that it is clearly not appropriate for other vehicles to use. We do not believe that cyclists should be encouraged to cycle past no-entry signs, and the use of except cycles" plates with no-entry signs is specifically prohibited by the Traffic Signs Regulations and General Directions (TSRGD). There are other sign designs available to indicate routes that cycles and buses, but not other motor vehicles, can use.

Crossrail

Andrew Rosindell: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport when he expects the bill setting out the major changes to the enabling works required for the Crossrail project in Romford to be ready to be introduced.

Derek Twigg: The Crossrail Bill was introduced on 22 February and received its second reading on 19 July. The Bill currently seeks powers to temporarily divert two gas pipelines east-west along the southern edge of the proposed Crossrail depot worksite at Romford, in order to free up working space for the period of the Crossrail works.
	A revised proposal is now being prepared in consultation with the utility company concerned which would instead divert the pipelines to the south, across Crow Lane to join an existing pipeline beneath Crowlands Heath Golf Course.
	Any amendment to the Bill would take the form of an Additional Provision, which would be accompanied by an environmental assessment and which would trigger a new petitioning period for those affected. It would then be for the Select Committee to decide whether to accept the proposed amendment to the Bill.

Crossrail

Andrew Rosindell: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what the salaries of the directors of the Crossrail project have been in each year since the project's inception.

Derek Twigg: I understand from Cross London Rail Links Limited (CLRLL) that, until October 2004, all Directors were non-executive Transport for London (TfL) and Strategic Rail Authority (SRA) nominees, and were not remunerated by CLRLL. Sir Christopher Benson (who served as Chairman from 24 October 2001–26 October 2004), was paid £25,000 in financial year 2001–02, £60,000 in 2002–03, £60,000 in 2003–04 and £40,000 to October 2004.
	Since October 2004, all Directors have been non-executive TfL and DfT nominees. The TfL nominee Directors and one of the DfT nominee directors are not remunerated by CLRL. Two of the DfT appointed Directors were paid £7,000 in total in the last financial year by CLRLL. Adrian Montague (who took over as Chairman on 26 October 2004), was not remunerated.

Departmental Consultation

Peter Ainsworth: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport if he will list formal consultations being sponsored by his Department and its agencies; and what the (a) commencement date and (b) deadline for responses is in each case.

Karen Buck: A list of current formal public consultations by the Department and its Executive Agencies is listed in the following table. They are available on our website: http://www.dft.gov.uk.
	
		Consultations currently in progress for the Department for Transport and its Executive Agencies
		
			 Title of consultation Commencement date Deadline for responses 
		
		
			 Department for Transport website address: http://www.dft.gov.uk 
			 Taxis and private hire vehicles—consultation on draft Best Practice Guidance 2 August 2005 28 October 2005 
			 UK Regulatory Requirements to Foreign Registered Aircraft 1 August 2005 28 October 2005 
			 Guidance to local authorities seeking DfT funding for transport Major Schemes 1 April 2005 The original deadline for this was the 30 September 2005. This was extended to 31 October 2005. A further extension will be given to coincide with the closure of the forthcoming consultation on preparatory costs for major schemes. 
			 Rail Interoperability Regulations and the interface with rail safety legislation(21) 3 October 2005 15 November 2005 
			 Consultation on implementation of the Bunkers Convention 2 September 2005 25 November 2005 
			 Proposal for a regulation on public passenger transport services by rail and by road 21 October 2005 13 January 2006 
			  
			 Highways Agency website address: http://www.highways.gov.uk 
			 Revision of Chapter 8 of the Traffic Signs Manual 1 October 2005 31 December 2005 
			  
			 Maritime and Coastguard Agency website address: http://www.mcga.gov.uk 
			 Yacht Deck Officer Certificates 12 August 2005 4 November 2005 
			 Destination of Vessel Traffic Services in the UK 12 October 2005 9 January 2006 
			 Noise and Vibration 19 October 2005 16 January 2006 
		
	
	The following Agencies do not have any consultations in progress at the moment:
	Driver and Vehicle Licensing Agency (DVLA)
	Driving Standards Agency (DSA)
	Vehicle and Operator Services Agency
	Vehicle Certification Agency
	(21) This consultation is shorter than the standard 12 weeks required by the code of practice on consultation because it was a follow up to an earlier consultation which lasted 12 weeks.

DVLA

David Chaytor: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport if he will make it his policy to require Driver and Vehicle Licensing Agency driving assessment centres to make available a copy of the assessment report to those drivers who are being assessed as a result of a disability; and if he will make a statement.

Stephen Ladyman: Provision exists for the driver to request from DVLA a copy of any driving assessment report or other medical reports that may be held on their personal record. DVLA considers such requests in accordance with the provisions of the Data Protection Act 1998. Copies of assessment reports would, normally, be released.

Milton Keynes

Phyllis Starkey: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport how much funding was allocated by his Department to Milton Keynes for (a) capital projects and (b) revenue funding in each of the last five years.

Karen Buck: The funding provided to Milton Keynes council for local transport capital expenditure since 2001 is shown in the table.
	
		Milton Keynes council -- £ million
		
			  Capital maintenance Integrated block Total 
		
		
			 2001–02 2.069 1.6 3.669 
			 2002–03 2.194 1.601 3.795 
			 2003–04 1.645 1.51 3.155 
			 2004–05 1.92 1.555 3.475 
			 2005–06 2.069 1.599 3.668 
		
	
	Capital maintenance funding is allocated to local highways authorities for investment in their highway network, including its structures and street lighting. The integrated transport block is Government funding support for transport improvements schemes each costing less than £5 million and can be used for local highways or public transport capital projects. It has been for Milton Keynes council to determine how these allocations were spent, in line with their local transport plan and their priorities.
	Revenue funding paid by my Department to Milton Keynes council in the form of Rural Bus Subsidy Grant and Rural Bus challenge funding, since 2001 is shown in the following table:
	
		Bus grant paid to Milton Keynes council
		
			  £ million 
		
		
			 2001–02 0.29 
			 2002–03 0.104 
			 2003–04 0.106 
			 2004–05 0.113 
			 2005–06 0.117 
		
	
	The Revenue Support Grant (RSG) from the Office of the Deputy Prime Minister provides further revenue funding for highway maintenance, concessionary fairs and subsidising bus services. However, RSG is unhypothecated and may be applied by local authorities to any services.

Railways

John Hayes: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport how many carriages are used by the rail networks in the UK.

Derek Twigg: The number of carriages in use for regular passenger service on the main line railway network is approximately 10,800. This excludes those in use by heritage railways and heritage stock kept for occasional use on the main line network.

Railways

John Hayes: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport how many railway personnel were assaulted at work in the last 12 months for which figures are available; how many arrests ensued; and how many convictions followed.

Derek Twigg: The number of crimes recorded by the British Transport police (BTP) for railway staff being assaulted while on duty totalled 2,879 during the period from 1 October 2004 to 30 September 2005. These resulted in 516 arrests.
	Information on the number of convictions can be provided only at disproportionate cost.

Railways

John Hayes: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport how many suicides occurred on the railway in 2004; and if he will make a statement on the counselling offered to drivers.

Derek Twigg: The British Transport Police publishes suicide figures by financial year. The total number of official verdicts of suicide on the railway network in England and Wales was 95 for the period from 1 April 2004 to 31 March 2005.
	Counselling is routinely offered to train drivers and rail staff in the aftermath of a railway suicide. Each train operating company is required to have provisions in place for the care of its staff under both Health and Safety and Employment rules.

Railways

John Hayes: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what types of material are used to maintain the railway infrastructure; how much of each type was used in the last period for which figures are available; and if he will make a statement.

Derek Twigg: This is an operational matter for Network Rail.

Railways

Jeremy Browne: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport if he will consider building a train station in Wellington in Somerset on the Paddington-Penzance line.

Derek Twigg: The Department for Transport is aware of the long held aspiration for the reopening of Wellington station and the inclusion of the proposed station in the Somerset County Council Local Transport Plan 2001–06. The case for a station needs further investigation including the development of an initial business case and assessments of its technical and operational deliverability. Such assessment and development work will need to be carried out with Network Rail. Funding sources will also need to be considered.

Road Bypasses/Usage

John Hayes: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport if he will list constituencies in which road bypasses have been built since May 1997.

Stephen Ladyman: A table has been placed in the Libraries of the House showing which road bypasses have been built since May 1997 and the constituencies where they are located. This includes both Highways Agency and local authority schemes.

Road Bypasses/Usage

John Hemming: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what estimate he has made of the total kilometres travelled by private motor vehicle users on roads in England and Wales in (a) 1984, (b) 1994 and (c) 2004.

Stephen Ladyman: The total kilometres travelled by private motor vehicle users (comprising cars, vans, motorcycles/mopeds and taxis) on roads in England and Wales is estimated as (a) 396 billion kilometres in 1984, (b) 561 billion kilometres in 1994 and (c) 619 billion kilometres in 2004.
	Data for 1984 are not directly comparable with 1994 and 2004 due to methodological changes.

Sheffield Tram System

John Hayes: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport if he will make a statement on the current status of plans to extend the Sheffield tram system into Rotherham; what costs have been estimated; what consultation has taken place with local (a) residents and (b) community groups; and what financial support his Department plans to supply.

Derek Twigg: In September 2004, the promoters of Sheffield Supertram, South Yorkshire Passenger Transport Executive (SYPTE), submitted their proposals for extending the existing Supertram system.
	The estimated capital costs set out in their proposals are £94 million for the Rotherham Parkgate and Royal Hallamshire Hospital loop extension and £89 million for the Rotherham Parkgate and Royal Hallamshire Hospital Spur extension. These costs are at 1992 prices.
	The Government asked SYPTE for further work on the scheme's value for money before we can consider their bid for funding. The Department is awaiting the conclusions of this work.
	SYPTE, as promoters of the scheme, are responsible for consulting residents and community groups on their proposals.

Speeding Fines

Nigel Evans: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport how many unpaid speeding fines in (a) Ribble Valley and (b) Lancashire are owed by people who are not British citizens.

Paul Goggins: I have been asked to reply.
	Information on the nationality of offenders who are given speeding fines is not collected centrally.

Train Numbers

John Hayes: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport how many (a) diesel and (b) electric trains operate in the UK.

Derek Twigg: The number of trains operating on the UK main line network is approximately as follows:
	
		
			  Number 
		
		
			 Diesel passenger trains 1,250 
			 Electric passenger trains 1,740 
			 Diesel freight locomotives 620 
			 Electric freight locomotives 90 
		
	
	This excludes maintenance vehicles, trains in use by heritage railways and heritage trains kept for occasional use on the main line network.

Transport Accessibility

Sammy Wilson: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what estimate he has made of the average time taken for residents in England to walk to their nearest (a) bus and (b) train station.

Karen Buck: Data from the National Travel Survey on the time taken to walk to the nearest bus stop and train station for households in England are provided in the following table:
	
		
			  Percentage of households, England, 2004 
		
		
			 Time taken to walk to nearest bus stop 
			 6 minutes or less 86 
			 7 to 13 minutes 10 
			 14 to 26 minutes 3 
			 27 minutes or more 1 
			 All households 100 
			   
			 Time taken to walk to nearest railway station 
			 6 minutes or less 6 
			 7 to 13 minutes 11 
			 14 to 26 minutes 25 
			 27 minutes or more 58 
			 All households 100

ENVIRONMENT FOOD AND RURAL AFFAIRS

Air Quality

Anne Main: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs how many prosecutions have been made against local authorities who fail to meet their targets under air quality management areas in the last five years; and if she will make a statement.

Ben Bradshaw: Under the local air quality management system, there is no obligation on local authorities to meet the air quality objectives, as prescribed in regulations. Part IV of the Environment Act 1995 only requires local authorities to act in pursuit of the achievement" of air quality objectives. This is because responsibility for action needed to regulate sources of emissions often lies outside their remit.
	Under section 85 of the Environment Act 1995, the Secretary of State has reserve powers requiring English local authorities to take action where they are failing to make sufficient progress. The Secretary of State may issue directions to require local authorities to take any of the following steps:
	Carry out an air quality review and assessment under section 82 of the Act;
	Re-do an air quality review and assessment in whole or in part;
	Make an order designating an air quality management area (AQMA);
	Revoke or modify an AQMA order;
	Prepare an action plan;
	Modify any action plan;
	Implement any actions in an action plan; and
	Exercise powers in pursuit of the air quality objectives.
	These reserve powers have never been used, and are seen as a last resort, only to be used where local authorities have clearly failed to carry out their local air quality management duties.
	All Government Departments, including mine, have agreed a Memorandum of Understanding", to be found at http://www.odpm.gov.uk/stellent/groups/odpm_local gov/documents/page/odpm_locgov_029528.hcsp which formalises arrangements for handling poorly performing local authorities following the introduction of the Comprehensive Performance Assessment. The memorandum encourages central Government to engage" with local authorities to address performance issues, and intervene where performance is giving cause for concern. In the last five years, where authorities have been falling behind with their air quality duties, my officials have engaged with those authorities to learn more about why they are falling behind and provided support as necessary. My officials have also met with a number of authorities who have been delayed with their air quality review and assessment reports. Ministers have also written to a number of authorities requesting submission of late reports and answered a parliamentary question in May 2001 highlighting which authorities had failed to complete their air quality reviews and assessments at that stage.

Avian Influenza

Roger Godsiff: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs how many birds entered quarantine in each of the last six months; how many were tested for avian influenza; and how many (a) live birds and (b) dead birds tested positive for avian influenza.

Ben Bradshaw: Between 1 May 2005 and 21 Oct 2005 our records show that 12,354 captive birds were imported from countries outside of the EU. These figures do not include imports of poultry.
	All imported captive birds are held in quarantine for 30 days. During this time tests are carried out for the avian influenza virus.
	During this period we have only received confirmation of two positive tests, which have recently been detected, of the avian influenza virus.

Avian Influenza

Bill Wiggin: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what mechanisms are being put in place to help farmers to check their poultry for avian influenza.

Ben Bradshaw: A private veterinary surgeon should always be consulted when birds become ill and the cause cannot be identified. If avian influenza or Newcastle disease are suspected the divisional veterinary manager should be notified immediately.
	Biosecurity advice has been distributed to industry partners, and signs of the disease can be found on the DEFRA website at: http://defraweb/animalh/diseases/notifiable/disease/ai/index.htm.

Avian Influenza

Bill Wiggin: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what contingency plans are in place to deal with a poultry farm which has been contaminated with avian influenza.

Ben Bradshaw: DEFRA has recently reviewed and updated its Exotic Animal Disease Generic Contingency Plan following a period of public consultation. It includes a section dealing specifically with an outbreak of avian influenza and was laid before Parliament on 21 July 2005. It is available on the DEFRA website. In the event of avian influenza being confirmed on a poultry farm the plan would be invoked immediately.
	The contingency plan is supported by operational and veterinary instructions that have also been published on the DEFRA website.

Avian Influenza

Bill Wiggin: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs 
	(1)  what estimate she has made of the quantity of poultry that may become infected in the event of an avian influenza outbreak;
	(2)  what estimate she has made of the quantity of poultry that will be killed through (a) infection and (b) controlled culling as a result of an avian influenza outbreak.

Ben Bradshaw: The last outbreak in the UK was in 1992, and affected only one turkey shed. The outbreak in the Netherlands in 2003 involved the culling of millions of birds. Therefore we must be ready for all eventualities.
	Our policy is to stamp out disease the moment it appears and to minimise the risk of the disease spreading to the maximum extent possible.

Avian Influenza

Bill Wiggin: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs for what scenarios the Government have developed contingency plans in the event of an outbreak of avian influenza.

Ben Bradshaw: The Government's Exotic Animal Disease Generic Contingency Plan includes a section dealing specifically with an outbreak of avian influenza. The Government have recognised that it is also sensible to plan for a wide set of events, however unlikely these may be, and is, accordingly, developing additional plans.

Avian Influenza

Andrew Rosindell: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what measures are in place to check chickens for avian influenza.

Ben Bradshaw: The existing legislation requires that any person who suspects that his chickens have avian influenza must immediately inform the local office of the State Veterinary Service and take steps to reduce the disease risk.
	There is in addition an annual survey to monitor low pathogenic avian influenza in poultry flocks.

Avian Influenza

Andrew Lansley: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs whether she plans to vaccinate poultry against the AH5N1 strain of avian influenza.

Ben Bradshaw: Prophylactic vaccination of poultry is prohibited under council directive 92/40/EC. There is no avian influenza with a current marketing authorisation in the UK.

Avian Influenza

Bill Wiggin: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what discussions her Department has had with other countries regarding the devising of measures to prevent the spread of avian influenza among animals.

Ben Bradshaw: My officials attended a series of meetings in Brussels last week, organised by the European Commission, to discuss issues on avian influenza (Al).
	On 25 October the EU agreed to introduce an extensive ban on imports into the Community of wild birds, along with new restrictions on the import of pet birds. In line with previous EU-wide measures, we have already banned imports of all live birds and products which could potentially transmit the disease from countries with the H5N1 strains of avian influenza.

Bovine TB

Bill Wiggin: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs how many outstanding tuberculosis tests for bovines there were in each year from 2000.

Ben Bradshaw: Data was not collected centrally for overdue tests before January 2002. Data from 2002–05 is given in the following table.
	
		Outstanding tuberculosis tests for bovines
		
			  Number 
		
		
			 2002 6,283 
			 2003 3,623 
			 2004 2,739 
			 2005(22) (23)2,049 
		
	
	(22) 1 January to 30 September.
	(23) Provisional data downloaded from the State Veterinary Service database TB Data Warehouse and subject to change as more data becomes available later in the year.

Bovine TB

Bill Wiggin: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what estimate she has made of the number of bovines untested for tuberculosis; and what steps are being taken to expedite tests.

Ben Bradshaw: On 30 September 2005 there were 2,049 herds with outstanding tuberculin tests in Great Britain. Of these, 888 (43 per cent.) were less than one month overdue, 442 (21.6 per cent.) were overdue by 1–3 months, 299 (14.6 per cent.) were overdue by 3–6 months, 224 (10.9 per cent.) were 6–12 months overdue and 196 (9.6 per cent.) were more than 12 months overdue.
	Last November we introduced a number of measures aimed at tightening surveillance and reducing the risk of TB spreading to new areas. The recalculation of routine testing intervals will ensure TB testing complies with Commission legislation while offering robust protection. Livestock movement restrictions are now imposed immediately a herd's routine test becomes overdue and a more rigorous and systematic approach to identifying and dealing with potential new TB hot spots is in place. In addition to this, rigorous testing schedules for new and reformed herds have been introduced.

British Beef

Lindsay Hoyle: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs how many countries import British beef; and how many maintain a ban on British beef.

Ben Bradshaw: According to our latest information: 91 countries permit the import of beef from the UK; 85 countries do not permit the import of beef from the UK; and for 27 other countries the situation is not known.

Cattle Imports (Brazil)

Ben Wallace: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs if she will ban imports of beef from Brazil while the country's cattle are suffering from foot and mouth disease.

Ben Bradshaw: On 13 October 2005, in line with EU action, the UK banned imports of bovine meat from the states of Mato Grosso do Sul, Parana and Sao Paulo in Brazil due to the foot and mouth outbreak in Mato Grosso do Sul.

Common Agricultural Policy

Mark Williams: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs if she will publish figures for the percentage of the EU budget accounted for by the Common Agricultural Policy for each year from 1984 to 2013.

Jim Knight: holding answer 26 October 2005
	The following table refers to payments under the Common Agricultural Policy, or payments under the Guarantee section of EAGGF for earlier years.
	
		Total expenditure EU Budget
		
			  Units: ecu/euro million Percentage 
		
		
			 1984 18,330 67.7 
			 1985 19,728 70.8 
			 1986 22,118 63.8 
			 1987 22,950 65.4 
			 1988 26,395 64.3 
			 1989 24,401 59.9 
			 1990 25,605 58.1 
			 1991 31,103 58.1 
			 1992 31,255 53.4 
			 1993 34,936 53.9 
			 1994 32,953 55.6 
			 1995 34,490 51.8 
			 1996 39,324 51.0 
			 1997 40,423 50.6 
			 1998 39,068 48.3 
			 1999 39,469 47.3 
			 2000(24) 40,506 49.6 
			 2001(24) 41,534 52.6 
			 2002(24) 43,521 49.8 
			 2003(24) 44,379 49.0 
			 2004(24) 43,579 43.5 
			 2005(25) 49,115 46.2 
		
	
	Note:
	All figures concern payments; 2000–05 figures include Rural Development. Figures relate to outturn, apart from 2005 (adopted Budget).
	Source:
	(Commission documents):
	The Community Budget: the facts in figures
	(24) Financial Reports 2000–2004
	(25) The 2005 Budget in figures
	Financial framework 2007–13
	These figures are commission estimates for 2007–13 and will depend on the outcome of the future finance negotiations.
	
		(2004 prices/euro million)—global appropriations for commitments
		
			  CAP and RD Percentage 
		
		
			 2006 54,279 45.3 
			 2007 55,259 41.76 
			 2008 55,908 40.6 
			 2009 56,054 39.5 
			 2010 55,859 38.4 
			 2011 55,666 37.4 
			 2012 55,583 36.3 
			 2013 55,498 35.3 
		
	
	Source:
	Working document of the Commission Services (1 October 2004)

Cross-compliance Regimes

Michael Penning: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what representations she has received on the operation of cross compliance regimes; and if she will make a statement.

Jim Knight: The Department has received one letter from a member of the public expressing concern about the implementation and operation of cross compliance.
	In this first year of operating the cross compliance regime I am aware of the need to understand how the application of the new rules is working in practice. To this end we have put in place a variety of monitoring mechanisms. These include feedback via the consultancy firm running the cross compliance advice service, discussions with farming representatives, informal consultation on the update to the handbook with approximately one hundred stakeholders, as well as views of the inspecting bodies.
	In other parts of the UK, the implementation and operation of cross compliance is a matter for the devolved Administrations and any representations will be made directly to them.

Dangerous Dogs Act

Andrew Rosindell: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what the average length of time is that dogs have been held under the provisions of the Dangerous Dogs Act 1991.

Ben Bradshaw: Information on the average duration for dogs held under the Dangerous Dogs Act 1991 is held by individual police forces and not collected centrally.

Departmental Priorities

Jim Cunningham: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what priorities the Department has set for 2006–07.

Jim Knight: holding answer given 27 October 2005
	DEFRA's priorities are set out in its Five-Year Strategy, Delivering the Essentials of Life", published in December 2004. A copy has been placed in the Library of the House.

Departmental Staff

Nick Gibb: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what assessment she has made of the (a) literacy and (b) numeracy skills of new recruits to her Department.

Jim Knight: Defra uses a competency-based approach to recruitment and selects candidates against both the Defra competences and the specific requirements for the job, using application form and interview.
	Once people are in post the primary mechanism for highlighting their skills or competence gaps is the formal performance and developmental discussions that take place between staff and their managers during the year. DEFRA then have a range of learning solutions and developmental initiatives to help people to develop the competences and specific job related skills they require.

Departmental Staff

Nick Gibb: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what training in (a) literacy and (b) numeracy is offered to employees of her Department.

Jim Knight: DEFRA is committed to the development of its staff and recognises the importance of key skills, such as numeracy and literacy, in the workplace. Literacy skills are embedded into the various writing skills courses we run and numeracy skills form a key part of training in subjects such as finance.
	DEFRA also ensures its employees can obtain learning and development solutions to support the development of literacy and numeracy skills in a number of other ways. For example our Departmental Central Learning Aid Scheme (CLAS) offers 100 per cent. funding to members of staff who wish to do a GCSE level qualification for numeracy, literacy or another key skill area.
	We have recently supported employees for whom English is not their first language by funding them on 'English for Speakers of Other Languages' (ESOL) courses. Delegates can take nationally recognised tests at two levels, the higher of which is the equivalent of a GCSE pass at grade A-C. Additionally DEFRA is currently promoting apprenticeships within the Department, which contain specific modules on raising the numeracy and literacy skills of participants.

Diversification

Laurence Robertson: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs if she will make a statement on the progress being made in the farming industry on diversification.

Jim Knight: DEFRA's 2003–04 Farm Business Survey reported that 48 per cent. of farmers in England had diversified, with a further 24 per cent. undertaking off farm employment. Turnover from diversification rose from £425 million in 2002–03 to £550 million in 2003–04. Total income from farm diversification activities in England in 2003–04 was almost £300 million.
	DEFRA's Strategy for Sustainable Farming and Food identifies the opportunities that farm diversification can offer to farmers looking for new markets and new sources of income. Diversification activities can not only improve the economic viability of the farming enterprise, but can also bring benefits to the wider rural population and economy. The Strategy particularly identifies the assistance available through DEFRA's England Rural Development Programme (ERDP) to help farmers with their diversification plans. Funding is available for farmers diversifying into a wide range of alternative agricultural and non-agricultural activities.

Dog Trainers

David Drew: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs who has won the bid to conduct research into electric aids used for dog training; and whether the research will be conducted independently of the manufacturers of such devices.

Ben Bradshaw: An open competition call inviting bids for research into specific types of electronic training aids was published in DEFRA's annual Research Requirements Document on 1 August 2005.
	The closing date for receipt of proposals was 30 September 2005. A single proposal was received in response to the call and this is currently undergoing both external and internal peer review. It is hoped that a decision will be made by the end of December on whether or not DEFRA will proceed with the commissioning of this proposal, in line with the timetable outlined in the Research Requirements Document.
	It is important that the research is independent, robust and rigorous. Peer review at both the outset and during the life of the project will help ensure this process.

Energy Efficiency

Anne Snelgrove: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what resources are available from public sources to promote energy efficiency locally.

Elliot Morley: The Home Energy Conservation Act 1995 (HECA) requires all UK local authorities with housing responsibilities to prepare and publish an energy conservation report identifying practicable and cost-effective measures likely to result in significant improvement in the energy efficiency of all residential accommodation in their area; and to report on progress in implementing the measures.
	The Government-funded Energy Saving Trust (EST) assists local authorities to deliver their HECA and other energy responsibilities through initiatives such as the Local Energy Support Programme. The EST also runs the Practical Help service to provide assistance and advice on implementing environmental policies including sustainable energy policy to local authorities and housing associations. The Home Energy Conservation Association (UK HECA) currently receives funding from the EST to run a network which helps local authorities share their expertise and resources in order to deliver their HECA strategies more effectively.

Energy Efficiency

Adam Holloway: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what steps the Government are taking to encourage local authorities to improve energy efficiency in their housing stock, with particular reference to Gravesham.

Elliot Morley: The Home Energy Conservation Act 1995 (HECA) requires all UK local authorities with housing responsibilities to prepare and publish an energy conservation report identifying practicable and cost-effective measures likely to result in significant improvement in the energy efficiency of all residential accommodation in their area; and to report on progress in implementing the measures.
	Under the Government's Decent Homes standard all social housing in England is required to have efficient heating and effective insulation by 2010. My understanding is that Gravesham borough council are currently considering transferring their housing stock under Large Scale Voluntary Transfer (LSVT) in order to help deliver this. They are receiving support from the Government-funded Energy Saving Trust (EST) Local Support" initiative. This is an enhanced energy efficiency advice service that delivers bespoke support to local authorities to tackle climate change, including energy efficiency under LSVT of social housing.

Environment Council

Peter Law: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs how climate change mitigation policies developed by the National Assembly for Wales were represented in the deliberation of European Union environment ministers at the EU Environment Council on 17 to 18 October.

Elliot Morley: I represented UK at the recent EU Environment Council; Margaret Beckett chaired the meeting for the UK presidency. The Council focused on the EU's negotiating strategy for the upcoming Montreal climate change conference.
	The EU agreed that its priority for the Montreal conference should be to operationalise the Kyoto Protocol. The Council confirmed its determination to meet its commitments under the UN Framework Convention and Protocol, including on funding to assist developing countries. The EU also set an objective to launch discussions on a process to determine further action after the Kyoto Protocol's first commitment period.
	A section on climate change policies by the National Assembly for Wales will appear in the revised UK Climate Change Programme which we are aiming to publish before the end of the year. This will contribute to the 2010 carbon dioxide goal and longer term goals. The UK has also worked closely with all the Devolved Administrations to ensure implementation of the EU Emissions Trading Scheme in a consistent and appropriate manner.

Environmental Schemes (Farmers)

Laurence Robertson: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs if she will make a statement on the progress made on the introduction of environmental schemes for farmers.

Jim Knight: Since the launch of Environmental Stewardship in March this year, steady progress has been made. The first Entry Level and Organic Entry Level Stewardship agreements started on 1 August and now over 7,500 of them are in place, covering over 830,000 hectares of English countryside. Another 500,000 hectares are in the pipeline. Although there have been initial difficulties with IT and registration of land, contingency arrangements in place ensured that we could meet our commitment to a 1 August start date for agreements.
	Continuing IT difficulties have meant that progress with Higher Level Stewardship has been slower than planned. However, new Higher Level Stewardship agreements are expected to be available early in 2006. In recognition of this delay, agri-environment customers whose existing agreements are coming to an end are being offered an extension to their agreement subject to entry into Environmental Stewardship, thereby protecting previously funded environmental benefits.

EU Sugar Regime

Gordon Prentice: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what recent representations she has received from food manufacturers about the proposed changes to the EU sugar regime.

Jim Knight: Meetings to discuss the proposed reforms to the EU sugar regime have taken place at both ministerial and official level with several individual companies and with the following trade associations: the Food and Drink Federation, the Biscuit Cake Chocolate and Confectionary Association, the UK Industrial Sugar Users Group and the British Soft Drink Association. In general terms those using sugar as an ingredient favour a market-based approach to reform, with early and substantial price cuts and increased competition.
	Defra ministers have also received letters on this subject from a range of individual food and drink manufacturers in recent months, both before and as part of our recently concluded consultation exercise. A summary of that consultation will be published shortly.

Exotic Wild Birds

Lindsay Hoyle: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what assessment she has made of the level of black market trading of exotic wild birds in the European Union; and if she will make a statement.

Jim Knight: The global wildlife trade is huge, with an annual turnover estimated at billions of dollars and involving hundreds of millions of individual plants and animals. The Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (CITES) regulates international trade through a system of certificates and permits.
	A great deal of wildlife trade is legal and likely to be conducted at sustainable levels that do not adversely affect the conservation status of the species in the wild. But some of the trade is illegal or unsustainable. Birds are subject to high levels of crime, especially birds of prey and parrots. In recent years an increasing number of parrots have been seized in new member states to the EU, including some rare and strictly protected species.
	A growing number of laws and regulations are now in place in order to control the trade to ensure its sustainability, to protect endangered species and to tackle the illegal trade.
	However, both legal and illegal traders also adapt quickly to changing laws and markets—targeting new species when others become depleted, shifting to new markets or, in the case of illegal trade, developing new smuggling methods and routes to avoid detection.
	I recently attended an EU-wide workshop, hosted by the Department which brought together police, customs, environmental inspectors and CITES officials to enhance co-ordination, co-operation and information exchange between member states on the enforcement of the EU Wildlife Trade Regulation.

Exotic Wild Birds

Lindsay Hoyle: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what discussions she has had with other EU member states on tackling the illegal trade in exotic wild birds.

Jim Knight: The Department hosted a three-day EU Wildlife Trade Enforcement Co-ordination Workshop at Chesham in Buckinghamshire from 25–27 October 2005. This initiative, held as part of the UK's presidency of the EU, brought together police, customs, environmental inspectors and other officials representing all 25 member states to improve wildlife law enforcement co-ordination and information exchange.
	The workshop participants agreed a set of recommendations and an outline action plan intended to enhance co-operation between EU member states on the enforcement of the EU Wildlife Trade Regulation, which implements the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (CITES) within the EU. The UK also called for extra vigilance for signs of any illegal trade or movement of birds.
	I shall be sending the workshop outcomes to my counterparts in all EU member states, and I have asked for the recommendations to be discussed at the next meeting of the EC CITES Enforcement Working Group on 10 November 2005 in Brussels.

Farming

Mark Williams: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what the average yearly farm income was from 1984 to 2005.

Jim Knight: holding answer 26 October 2005
	The average yearly farm income for England in each year from 1983–84 to 2003–04 is given in the following table (2004–05 due to be published 27 October):
	
		Average net farm incomes in England (£/farm)(26) -- £
		
			 March/February England farm 
		
		
			 1983–84 12,500 
			 1984–85 14,000 
			 1985–86 7,700 
			 1986–87 11,600 
			 1987–88 11,900 
			 1988–89 12,600 
			 1989–90 17,500 
			 1990–91 16,700 
			 1991–92 18,000 
			 1992–93 22,100 
			 1993–94 23,800 
			 1994–95 28,800 
			 1995–96 38,200 
			 1996–97 31,700 
			 1997–98 15,200 
			 1998–99 11,500 
			 1999–2000 8,700 
			 2000–01 10,600 
			 2001–02(27) 14,900 
			 2002–03 16,600 
			 2003–04 30,200 
		
	
	(26) The data may differ slightly from those published in past years. They have been re-calculated to take account of changes to farm typology.
	(27) Excludes farms subjected to compulsory foot and mouth disease cull. Net farm income is defined as the return to the principal farmer and spouse for their manual and managerial labour and on the tenant type capital invested in the business.
	Source:
	Farm Business Survey

Flood Protection

David Drew: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs whether the forthcoming strategy for the Lower Severn includes statements on the Environment Agency's responsibility to undertake planned and responsive maintenance on the banks of the River Severn.

Elliot Morley: I understand the Tidal Severn Strategy has been developed by the Environment Agency in full consultation with stakeholders and that it does include statements on the Agency's responsibilities to undertake planned and responsive maintenance on the banks of the River Severn.

Goats

Mark Williams: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what assessment her Department has made of the impact on the welfare of goats of (a) single tagging and (b) double tagging; and if she will make a statement.

Ben Bradshaw: DEFRA has conducted a six-month field trial in order to identify potential welfare issues when tagging goats. The trial involved double tagging 125 goats with a range of different tag types. This was done to maximise the data available and the trial was not specifically designed to compare the welfare implications of single versus double tagging. In any event, the results of the trial are currently being been analysed.
	The Department have also conducted research on best practice in tagging goats within the UK and in other EU member states. The critical success factors appear to be use of an appropriate tag (size, shape, weight, pin length, etc.) for the breed of animal, the correct placement and application of the tag and high standards of hygiene. The environment in which animals are kept is also factor determining retention rates, which have an impact on animal welfare.
	Although DEFRA is concerned about the possible welfare impact of the mandatory tagging of goats, my officials have uncovered numerous examples of keepers who have encountered few or no welfare problems when tagging their goats. It should also be noted that the application of tattoos, the former favoured method of identifying goats, can also cause welfare problems.

Goats

Mark Williams: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs how her Department plans to administer European Council regulation (EC) 21/2004, regarding the identification of sheep and goats.

Ben Bradshaw: Council Regulation (EC) 21/2004 has been directly applicable within the United Kingdom from 9 July 2005. Domestic legislation to provide for the enforcement of the requirements of 21/2004 will be in place by December.
	The UK sought an exemption from the requirement in Council Regulation (EC) 21/2004 for all breeding sheep and goats to be double tagged. This has been granted on a temporary basis up until 30 April 2006. This allows the UK to broadly maintain its existing system.
	A leaflet explaining the new rules in brief was sent to all sheep and goat keepers in England on 25 August. I will place a copy of this leaflet in the Library of the House. Full guidance will be sent to all sheep and goat keepers in November and once issued, this too will be made available in the Libraries.

Milk Prices

Lindsay Hoyle: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what discussions she has had with Farmers for Action on the price of milk paid to farmers.

Jim Knight: Price negotiations between producers and processors, or processors and supermarkets are a private commercial matter in which the Government cannot and should not get involved, provided competition rules are respected. The Government are very aware of the challenges facing the industry, of which low prices are one. My noble Friend Lord Bach, is working closely with industry representatives through the Dairy Supply Chain Forum to address some of these issues, such as farm level efficiency and barriers to innovation.

National Service Plan

David Drew: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs if she will make a statement on progress on the National Service Plan.

Ben Bradshaw: I assume the hon. Member is referring to the National Scrapie Plan.
	The National Scrapie Plan continues to make good progress. The voluntary Ram Genotyping Scheme is continuing to recruit new members and there has been encouraging progress in improving genotype profiles in participating flocks. We are working to implement the Compulsory Ram Genotyping Scheme during 2006, taking into account the results of a strategic review last year. Targeted action in scrapie affected flocks is continuing in line with the EU rules and we are taking the opportunity of discussions in Brussels of the Commission's TSE Roadmap to press for changes to the scheme.

Non-departmental Public Bodies

David Amess: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs if she will list those of her Department's advisory non-departmental public bodies which the Government are required (a) to consult prior to legislative proposals and (b) to publish their response to advice from.

Jim Knight: There is currently no information held centrally to answer this question and to provide it would be at disproportionate cost.

Non-departmental Public Bodies

David Amess: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs which of the advisory non-departmental public bodies sponsored by her Department (a) hold public meetings, (b) conduct public consultation exercises, (c) conduct consultation exercises with outside commercial interests, (d) publish a register of members' interests, (e) publish agendas for meetings and (f) publish the minutes of meetings; and whether it is under a statutory requirement in each case.

Jim Knight: Not all the information required is held centrally and the following parts of this question have not been answered because of disproportionate cost:
	(b) Conduct public consultation exercises
	(c) Conduct consultation exercises with outside commercial interests
	(d) Publish a register of members 1 interests.
	Some of parts (a), (e) and (f) can be answered, however there is currently no information held centrally on whether these bodies have a statutory base.
	Most of the information was collected in the last quarter of 2004 and relates only to questions about publishing meeting agendas and minutes on the internet.
	(a) Hold public meetings
	Advisory Committee on Hazardous Substances
	Advisory Committee on Packaging
	Advisory Committee on Pesticides
	Advisory Committee on Releases to the Environment
	Committee of Radioactive Waste Management
	Farm Animal Welfare Council
	Independent Scientific Group on TB in Cattle
	Pesticides Residues Committee
	Royal Commission on Environmental Pollution
	Spongiform Encephalopathy Advisory Council
	Veterinary Products Committee
	Veterinary Residues Committee
	Zoos Forum
	(e) Publish agendas for meetings
	Advisory Committee on Hazardous Substances
	Advisory Committee on Pesticides
	Advisory Committee on Releases to the Environment
	Air Quality Expert Group
	Committee on Products and Processes for Use in Public Water Supply
	Expert Panel on Air Quality Standards
	Independent Scientific Group on TB in Cattle
	Pesticides Residues Committee
	Spongiform Encephalopathy Advisory Council
	Veterinary Products Committee
	Veterinary Residues Committee
	(f) Publish the minutes of meetings
	Advisory Committee on Consumer Products and the Environment
	Advisory Committee on Hazardous Substances
	Advisory Committee on Organic Standards
	Advisory Committee on Packaging
	Advisory Committee on Pesticides
	Advisory Committee on Releases to the Environment
	Air Quality Expert Group
	Committee of Radioactive Waste Management
	Committee on Products and Processes for Use in Public Water Supply
	Expert Panel on Air Quality Standards
	Expert Group on Cryptosporidium in Water Supplies
	Farm Animal Welfare Council
	Independent Scientific Group on TB in Cattle
	Inland Waterways Amenity Advisory Council
	Pesticides Residues Committee
	Royal Commission on Environmental Pollution
	Science Advisory Council
	Spongiform Encephalopathy Advisory Council
	Sustainable Development Commission
	Veterinary Products Committee
	Veterinary Residues Committee
	Zoos Forum

Packaging Waste Regulations

Bill Wiggin: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs 
	(1)  for what reasons the consultation period for the 'Meeting the 2008 Directive Targets' regarding the packaging waste regulations was set at six weeks;
	(2)  what assessment she has made of whether the consultation on the packaging waste regulations complied with the code of practice on consultations;
	(3)  what reasons underlay the timetable for the consultation on the packaging waste regulations;
	(4)  what reasons underlay the proposals in the Department's 'Meeting the 2008 Directive Targets' consultation in relation to decision-making procedures on competence.

Ben Bradshaw: The Cabinet Office's code of practice on consultations states that
	a minimum 12 week consultation process is required during the development of policy".
	It goes on to say
	however, there will be exceptional circumstances that require a consultation period of less than 12 weeks".
	The Government are aware that for businesses with obligations under the packaging regulations to be able to plan ahead, new targets need to be made public as soon as possible before the beginning of a new obligation year on 1 January. We are also aware of the need to make changes to the legislation before the House rises in December if the legal provisions are to be in place by 1 January. Ensuring that this timing is met has been the Government's prime objective this year. In addition to consulting on changes to the regulations, the Government are in the process of consolidating the original 1997 regulations with the subsequent amendments. It was clear that if we had consulted for 12 weeks, we would have jeopardised our ability to announce new targets and other changes and make new regulations before the start of the next obligation year. The Government therefore consulted members of the Advisory Committee on Packaging, the industry body which represents packaging industry views to Government. They recognised the problem and agreed that the main objective was to get the changes announced as early as possible and the changes in place. For these reasons, we consulted for six weeks.
	The proposals on conditional approval and scrutinising scheme operational plans were put forward because discussions with industry suggested that compliance schemes and large producers may not at present be placing sufficient focus on meeting the 2008 directive targets and on the planning and action that they need to take now in order to do so. The changes put forward were therefore designed to shift the focus onto the 2008 directive targets.

Packaging Waste Regulations

Bill Wiggin: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what mechanisms the Government plan to put in place to scrutinise operational plans of compliance schemes and large producers with regard to the new packaging waste regulations.

Ben Bradshaw: The Government proposed in the Consultation Paper on Meeting Directive Targets in 2008" published earlier this year, to apply an additional level of resource to the scrutiny of compliance schemes' and large producers' operational plans, over and above that which the agency is currently and will continue to be, required to do.
	This proposal was widely supported by those consulted and so the Government have commissioned consultants to build an IT based scrutiny system which, together with a qualitative assessment, will allow the operational plans to be considered in terms of their ability to meet the next packaging directive targets, both individually and in aggregate. The Government believe that the additional scrutiny is necessary to ensure a longer term focus on the actions producers and schemes will have to take to ensure that their compliance allows the UK to meet its directive targets in 2008.

Plastic Bags

Jeremy Corbyn: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what steps she has taken to reduce the use of disposable plastic bags; and if she will make a statement.

Ben Bradshaw: The Government recognizes the benefits of reducing the number of plastic bags used.
	The number of single-use plastic bags in circulation could be significantly reduced through reuse and recycling, so we have asked the Waste and Resources Action Programme (WRAP) to investigate the feasibility of a large scale campaign to encourage consumers to use strong, re-usable plastic bags in place of single-use bags. WRAP are currently trialling such a campaign in Bristol and Edinburgh, in association with national retailers, the Scottish Executive, the British Retail Consortium and the Scottish Waste Awareness Group. Approximately 35 to 40 retail major outlets in each town are taking part in these trials. Results are expected in January.
	Life cycle analysis studies suggest that re-using such bags several times (between four and seven times as a minimum, depending on the study) will produce environmental benefits, when compared to the use of single-trip alternatives such as plastic carrier bags, paper bags and biodegradable bags.

Private Members' Bills

David Amess: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs on what occasions since 1997 Ministers from her Department have (a) authorised parliamentary counsel to assist in preparing amendments to private Members' Bills on behalf of other private Members and (b) authorised officials to instruct parliamentary counsel to prepare amendments which were subsequently passed to private Members.

Jim Knight: The information requested is not collected.

Rebranding

Vincent Cable: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs how much has been spent on rebranding in her Department and related agencies since 2003–04.

Jim Knight: Expenditure incurred on re-branding Defra and its related agencies since 2003–04, managed by DEFRA's Communications Directorate, was £184,000.
	This is broken down as follows:
	
		
			 Agency Expenditure incurred (£000) 
		
		
			 DEFRA 100 
			 Related Agencies Rural Development Service 1 
			 Government Decontamination Service 7 
			 Marine Fisheries Agency 12 
			 State Veterinary Service 64

Renewable Energy

Mark Lancaster: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what steps she will take to increase the use of energy-from-waste plants in the UK.

Ben Bradshaw: The Government are exploring options to support the delivery of additional energy generation from residual, post-recycling, waste as part of its current review of waste strategy.

Rights of Way

David Drew: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs for what reasons confidentiality is retained by those who suggest a right of way under the Countryside and Rights of Way Act 2000.

Jim Knight: Applications for rights of way are made under schedule 14 of the Wildlife and Countryside Act 1981. Within the legislation there is no statutory protection for the confidentiality of applicants, and where a local authority subsequently makes an order, it must make available all the relevant documents for inspection. The release of personal information in relation to an application is determined by a local authority in accordance with its policy on the Data Protection Act.

Sunflowers

Richard Taylor: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs if she will take steps to encourage farmers to grow selectively bred sunflowers that produce high oleic oil as a part of their diversification programme.

Jim Knight: The Department is aware of interest in high oleic oil crops . A very small area (200 hectares) of sunflowers is currently grown in the UK for non-food uses, but due to climatic restrictions, they are not currently suited to wide scale production in the UK. Similar high oleic oil traits, with their potential positive health and industrial oil benefits can be found in oilseed rape cultivars and these may prove to be a more suitable route for UK farmers to access these potential new markets. The National Non-Food Crops Centre (NNFCC) is an authoritative source of information on the use and implementation of non-food crop products and technologies and can provide farmers with advice.

Supermarkets

Michael Penning: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what discussions her Department has had regarding the code of practice for supermarkets; and if she will make a statement.

Jim Knight: Responsibility for the code of practice rests with the Office of Fair Trading. However, as DEFRA is the sponsor Department for the farming and food industries the subject of the code will have arisen in the course of discussions and correspondence between DEFRA and representatives of various bodies, including farming and retail organisations. We have also discussed the code with the Department for Trade and Industry and the Office of Fair Trading (OFT) as and when the need has arisen, most recently in the context of the OFT's August 2005 report Supermarkets: the Code of Practice and Other Competition Issues".

CULTURE MEDIA AND SPORT

Alcohol Education

Don Foster: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport what representations she has made to (a) the Department for Health and (b) the Treasury to secure greater funding for alcohol education; and if she will make a statement.

James Purnell: holding answer 24 October 2005
	I have made no representations, as my Department plays an active role with others in carrying forward the Alcohol Harm Reduction Strategy, led by the Department of Health and the Home Office, which includes initiatives aimed at raising awareness of the harm caused by alcohol misuse.
	You may also be aware that I am reviewing the Alcohol Education Research Council (AERC). The review will consider how best to support and develop the role currently played by the AERC and the fund which it manages.

British Museum Act

Michael Penning: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport pursuant to the answer to the hon. Member for Hendon (Mr. Dismore) of 7 June 2005, Official Report, columns 235–36W, on the British Museum Act, what progress has been made in the consideration of the recommendation; and if she will make a statement.

David Lammy: My Department is planning to issue a public consultation document on these matters shortly, with a view to submitting proposals for legislation in due course. We are now holding preliminary discussions with interested parties on the scope of possible legislation.

Child Obesity

Michael Penning: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport what steps her Department is taking towards its targets for reducing obesity among children under the age of 11 by 2010; and if she will make a statement.

Richard Caborn: The Public Service Agreement (PSA) Target, to halt the rise in obesity in under-11s by 2010, is also shared by the Department of Health (DH) and the Department for Education and Skills (DFES) and there are a number of major cross-Government programmes which will contribute to the target.
	The Department is working with the DH and DFES on the development of a cross-Government social marketing programme to address healthy lifestyles and will focus on children aged 2–10. The campaign is due to be launched in June 2006.
	DCMS also has a joint target with DFES to ensure that by 2010 all children aged 5–16 will be offered at least four hours of sport every week, which will comprise two hours of high quality PE and sport at school and in addition the opportunity for a further 2–3 hours beyond the school day.
	We are also looking at how we can increase the participation of dance by young people in and outside of school so that it can contribute to the PSA target and the Government's healthy living agenda.
	We have also set up a cross-departmental group to devise a more strategic approach to play policy. Added to that the Big Lottery Fund announced on 31 March that one of its new funding programmes would include £155 million to develop, create, improve and design innovative children's play facilities with the aim of providing free local play provision for youngsters.
	As well as the play programme, £350 million in England will be dedicated to helping communities to improve their local environment with £90 million of that amount for parks. This area of funding will be run in partnership with the Heritage Lottery Fund.

Cricket

Lindsay Hoyle: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport what plans her Department has to work with the Department for Education and Skills to promote cricket within schools.

Richard Caborn: The Department for Culture, Media and Sport and the Department for Education and Skills share a joint public service agreement target to increase participation in physical education and sport in schools as part of the national PE and school sport strategy. This includes competitive team games such as cricket.
	Cricket may be taught to pupils in schools as part of the programme of study for games activities within national curriculum PE. Games activities must be taught to all pupils in key stages 1–3 (age 5–14) and are optional at key stage 4 (age 14–16).
	Cricket is one of the 22 key sports within the Club Links work strand of the school sport strategy. This work strand seeks to enhance existing links, and create new links, between schools and sports clubs. It is intended to help increase the number of school children being guided into National Governing Body affiliated sports clubs.
	The 2004–05 PE and School Sport Survey of schools in School Sport Partnerships found that cricket was the second most popular sport (after football) for which schools had formal links with sports clubs. 46 per cent. of schools have links with a local cricket club. The survey also found that 85 per cent. of schools provided cricket for their pupils, either in lesson time or after school. This was the sixth most popular sport provided in schools. Copies of the results of the survey have been placed in the Libraries of both Houses.

Departmental Appointments (Diversity)

Michael Penning: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport how many (a) disabled and (b) ethnic minority staff were appointed to the Department in the last financial year; and if she will make a statement.

David Lammy: The Department for Culture, Media and Sport is fully committed to equality of opportunity, and recruitment and selection takes place on the basis of fair and open competition.
	Data on ethnicity and disability are collected on a voluntary self-declaration basis. In the year 1 April 2004 to 31 March 2005, of 110 appointments, two people declared a disability and 15 people declared themselves to be from an ethnic minority background; some people chose not to declare their ethnicity or disability status.

Departmental Call Centres

David Laws: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport how many call centres were run by her Department and its agencies in (a) 2003–04, (b) 2004–05 and (c) 2005–06 to date; and how many and what proportion of calls (i) were handled by an adviser, (ii) were received but abandoned and (iii) received an engaged tone.

David Lammy: My Department and its one executive agency, the Royal Parks, do not run any call centres.

Departmental Correspondence

Michael Penning: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport 
	(1)  what steps she is taking to improve her Department's performance with regard to replying to correspondence from the public; and if she will make a statement;
	(2)  what steps she is taking to improve the Department's performance in replying to hon. Members' correspondence.

David Lammy: Every effort is made to handle all correspondence effectively and efficiently.
	All correspondence from hon. Members and Peers is handled in accordance with the principles set out in 'Handling Correspondence from Members of Parliament, Members of the House of Lords, MEPs and Members of Devolved Assemblies: Guidance for Departments'. The same principles apply when handling correspondence from members of the public.
	Information relating to the performance of departments in replying to Members/Peers correspondence is published on an annual basis. The Report for 2004 was published on 6 April 2005, Official Report, columns 137–140WS.
	DCMS is also setting up a new Central Information and Briefing Unit, which will help ensure that replies to correspondence from the public are dealt with in a prompt, accurate and helpful manner.

Departmental Policies

Sharon Hodgson: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport if she will set out, with statistical evidence relating as closely as possible to Gateshead, East and Washington, West constituency, the effects in Gateshead, East and Washington, West of changes to her Department's policies since 1997.

David Lammy: The Department's aim is to improve the quality of life for everyone through cultural and sporting activities, to support the pursuit of excellence and to champion the tourism, creative and leisure industries. The Department's policies and actions have had a significant impact on Gateshead, East and Washington, West since 2 May 1997.
	In 2002 we launched the first ever comprehensive national physical education, school sport and club links strategy with an investment of £459 million. To achieve our challenging targets for increased participation in sport and physical activity, we have invested in over 4,000 new and refurbished public sports facilities nationwide. Sports facilities in the Gateshead and Sunderland area have benefited from 42 awards from Sport England and the Big Lottery Fund to the total of £19.7 million.
	We have increased our national funding to the arts in real terms by 60 per cent. from £199 million in 1998–99 to £412 million in 2005–06. Between 1998–99 and 2005–06 funding to Arts Council England, North East increased from £5.7 million to £14.4 million. In 2005–06 the total Arts Council England investment in the North East, including grant-in-aid and lottery expenditure, will be £17.7 million. Gateshead, East and Washington, West has benefited from grants to arts projects, organisations and individuals in the areas, ranging from the Baltic Centre for Contemporary Art to the Gateshead NHS Trust which received £30,000 from public art commissions for the new NHS treatment centre in Gateshead.
	Culture Online was launched in 2002 to increase access to, and participation in, arts and culture. Many of its projects are aimed at children of school age and at audiences that might not otherwise participate in arts and culture, including those who do not easily have access to arts and culture, people from deprived communities and people with particular educational or physical needs. People in Gateshead, East and Washington, West will be among those who benefit from Culture Online. Between 2002 and 2004, £13 million was allocated to fund 20 Culture Online projects.
	Through our commitment to public service broadcasting we have helped to foster an environment in which a creative, commercially successful broadcasting industry provides a wide range of UK-made, high quality original programmes catering for all viewers and listeners. We have ensured a secure funding base for the BBC and Channel 4, while giving them the freedom to develop commercial operations which complement and support their public service remit. The Communications Act 2003 includes provisions to ensure that public service broadcasting will continue to have a key role to play in the digital future.
	In November 2000 we introduced free television licences for people aged 75 or over. Information on the number of beneficiaries by constituency is not available. However, according to Department for Work and Pensions records, the number of households in Gateshead, East and Washington, West with at least one person aged 75 or over claiming the winter fuel payment in 2004–05 was 4,560.
	We have changed the licensing laws to allow people to hold and attend commercial dances on Sunday, to make it easier for restaurants to open an hour later, and to relax the alcohol licensing hours from 11 pm on new year's eve to 11 am on new year's day in all future years; and we have given the police greater powers to take action against under-age drinking and disorderly and noisy licensed premises. The Licensing Act 2003, when fully implemented, will introduce a streamlined, consistent and fair licensing regime for the provision of alcohol, public entertainment and late night refreshment. It will provide greater choice for consumers, bring regeneration and increased employment opportunities and protect local residents whose lives have been blighted by disturbance and antisocial behaviour.
	The Gambling Act 2005 will, when implemented, transfer responsibility for licensing gambling premises to local authorities. Local people and businesses will be able to make representations about applications for licences and local authorities will be able to decide not to issue licences for casino premises. These changes will give local communities, including those in Gateshead, East and Washington, West, a greater say in the regulation of gambling in their area.
	Tourism in Gateshead, East and Washington, West has benefited from Government-funded marketing activity, primarily £50 million in grant-in-aid per annum to VisitBritain. In April 2003 we established VisitBritain with a new domestic marketing remit for England, and we gave strategic responsibility for tourism development to the regional development agencies, including One North East. These changes, together with VisitBritain's successful marketing activities in promoting Britain abroad as an attractive tourist destination, benefit all parts of the country, including Gateshead, East and Washington, West.
	English Heritage has awarded grants worth £40,875 to Gateshead, East and Washington, West since 2 May 1997. The sum represents a single grant made to the Bowes railway Engineering Company near Gateshead.
	In 2002 the Department, working through the Museums, Libraries and Archives Council, began investing in regional museums for the first time with the Renaissance funding programme. Since 2003, the North East Regional Museums Hub, led by Tyne and Wear Museums, working in partnership with the North East Museums, Libraries and Archives Council (NEMLAC) has invested £4.7 million in museums in the north east. As a result, 88 per cent. of schools in Gateshead LEA, and 68 per cent. in Sunderland LEA have participated in museum based learning at Tyne and Wear museums. And since April 2005, museum hub outreach officers in Gateshead and Sunderland have worked with 2,073 people, including partnering with lads and dada groups, women's mental health groups and disaffected young people.
	In common with all those in the United Kingdom, the public library branches under the administration of Gateshead and Sunderland councils within Gateshead, East and Washington, West are connected to the internet through the People's Network which was funded through a £120 million lottery grant and which has put all the United Kingdom's public libraries on-line. In addition, the Department is funding the Museums, Libraries and Archives Council with £5 million over three years to implement the Framework for the Future Action Plan and Library Improvement Programme, which is designed to encourage improvement across the public libraries sector in England.
	The Department has been an energetic advocate of the community value of public libraries. Gateshead council has gained two awards through the DCMS/Wolfson Public Libraries Challenge Fund in 1997–98 (£65,000 towards a total project cost of £130,000) and 2000–01 (£23,605 towards a total project cost of £34,688).
	Information from the national lottery distributors indicates that since 2 May 1997 Gateshead, East and Washington, West has benefited from over 235 awards totalling over £8.9 million. Of these, 49 awards worth over £6 million were made by the New Opportunities Fund which was established by the Government in 1999. The New Opportunities Fund merged with the Community Fund in June 2004 to form the Big Lottery Fund.

Departmental Spending

David Davies: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport how much the Department spent on items of art in 2004–05.

David Lammy: The Department for Culture, Media and Sport, via the Government Art Collection (part of the Department), spent £295,500 on works of art in the 2004–05 Financial Year.

Departmental Sponsorship

Peter Ainsworth: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport if she will list formal consultations being sponsored by her Department and its agencies; and what the (a) commencement date and (b) deadline for responses is in each case.

David Lammy: My Department is sponsoring the following current formal consultations:
	
		
			 Title of consultation Commencement date Deadline for responses 
		
		
			 Commission proposal for the 'Citizen's for Europe' Programme-2007–2013 5 August 2005 28 October 2005 
			 The 1954 Hague Convention on the Protection of Cultural Property in the Event  of Armed Conflict and its two Protocols of 1954 and 1999 6 September 2005 2 December 2005 
			
			 European Commission's Communication i2010: Digital Libraries 24 October 2005 13 January 2006 
		
	
	There are no current formal consultations being carried out at the Royal Parks Agency.

Digital Switchover

Vincent Cable: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport what estimate she has made of the cost of the subsidy scheme for digital switchover; and if she will make a statement.

James Purnell: We need to await the conclusions of the pilot switchover assistance scheme project in Bolton and research, which we will shortly commission, on the future intentions among the target groups to adopt digital television and to use the services provided under the scheme before we can publish detailed estimates. We will not have the results of these studies until early next year.
	We hope to publish estimates of the costs of the switchover assistance scheme in spring 2006.

Drinks Pricing

Don Foster: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport what guidance she has issued to local authorities regarding the legality of policies on the minimum pricing of alcohol drinks; and if she will make a statement.

James Purnell: holding answer 25 October 2005
	Chapter 7.79 of the guidance issued under section 182 of the Licensing Act 2003 offers advice on discounting and sales promotions, including advice on competition law in relation to pricing.
	The Government are committed to an early review of the guidance, which was issued over a year ago. It would be sensible to look again at the advice on discounting and sales promotions, and I would value the hon. Member's views as part of that process.

English Cathedrals

Robert Key: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport what assessment she has made of the implications for the maintenance of the fabric of English cathedrals of the loss of income arising from forced sale to their tenants of rented houses in their closes.

David Lammy: No specific assessment of this aspect of Cathedrals' financial circumstances has been made. However, the 2001 English Heritage survey of the fabric needs of cathedrals demonstrated that most had overcome the backlog of repairs that had existed in 1991 when the survey had last been carried out. The remaining need is for smaller grants for medium sized cyclical repairs. In 2005–06, the scheme is providing £1 million to assist cathedrals with their outstanding repair needs.
	Cathedrals have received a total of £7.7 million since 2001–02 from the Heritage Lottery Fund. This money has supported fabric repair and conservation work, new facilities, and community outreach projects.
	Cathedrals are also major beneficiaries of the Listed Places of Worship Grant Scheme whereby grants are awarded in respect of the VAT incurred in repairing listed places of worship.

Funding (Milton Keynes)

Phyllis Starkey: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport how much funding was allocated by her Department to Milton Keynes for (a) capital projects and (b) revenue funding in each of the last five years.

David Lammy: Apart from the national museums and galleries, the Department for Culture, Media and Sport does not allocate funding directly to any of its sectors. Instead money allocated to it by Parliament is channelled through our various non-departmental public bodies who are responsible for deciding how and where it is spent. For instance the Arts Council has allocated £1.45 million to a number of organisations in Milton Keynes over the last five years, as well as £20 million in capital for the Milton Keynes Theatre and Art Gallery. Similarly Sport England have allocated £800,000 in revenue and £1 million in capital funding and English Heritage £251,000 in revenue funding. Some of the funding which these and other of our NDPBs spend in the surrounding area will also have benefited Milton Keynes.

Gershon Review

Mark Francois: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport what progress has been made, in terms of (a) headcount reductions and (b) cost savings, in achieving the efficiency objectives set for the Department by the Gershon review.

David Lammy: Progress was reported in Budget 2005 and in the Departmental Annual Report. Further progress will be reported in the Autumn Performance Report and at aggregate level in the Pre-Budget Report.

Gershon Review

Mark Francois: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport who in the Department has been made responsible for achieving the efficiency objectives set for the Department by the Gershon review.

David Lammy: My right hon. Friend the Secretary of State is responsible for the overall delivery of the Department's Efficiency programme.

Heritage Protection Review

Phyllis Starkey: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport when her Department will implement the recommendations of the Heritage Protection Review.

David Lammy: DCMS intends to publish a White Paper that will contain the detailed proposals for reform of the heritage protection system in spring 2006. The Department will seek parliamentary time for new legislation as soon as practicable after this time.

Irresponsible Drinks Promotions

Don Foster: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport what recent meetings she has held with representatives of (a) supermarkets, (b) off-licences and (c) other licensed premises with regard to irresponsible drinks promotions; and if she will make a statement.

James Purnell: I and my right hon. Friends the Secretary of State, and the Home Secretary, met senior figures from the off-trade on 26 October to discuss the sale of alcohol to children. We shall be having further discussions on the issue of irresponsible sales promotions.
	There are ongoing and regular meetings between my Department, the Home Office and the Department of Health with the licensed trade to discuss issues such as responsible retailing. An important development in this regard, as part of the cross-Government Alcohol Harm Reduction Strategy, is the drawing up of a Social Responsibility Standards Code. Representatives of all licensed trade sectors are committed to the code, which will be launched shortly.

IT Projects

David Laws: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport how many IT projects have been developed for her Department since 2001; and whether she has agreed to make public the Gateway Reviews for these projects (a) in full and (b) in part.

David Lammy: There is no central list of IT projects developed for the Department since 2001, but the number is approximately 20 in total.
	In line with Office of Government Commerce (OGC) guidelines we do not publish Gateway Review reports.

Libraries

Sarah Teather: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport what the total stock was of books owned by each London borough's library service in each year since 1997.

David Lammy: The total book stock held by public libraries across inner and outer London for each year between 1997–98 and 2003–04 is shown in the table. These figures are drawn from the Chartered Institute of Public Finance and Accountancy's annual Public Library Statistics (Actuals) which also contain figures for individual library authorities. Copies are kept in the House of Commons Library.
	
		
			  Total book stock 
		
		
			 1997–98 18,224,226 
			 1998–99 17,710,718 
			 1999–2000 17,724,161 
			 2000–01 16,724,524 
			 2001–02 16,652,961 
			 2002–03 16,162,081 
			 2003–04 15,573,734

Licensing

Anne Main: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport how many representations she has received from police authorities raising concerns about the effects of the Licensing Act 2003 since the Act passed; and if she will make a statement.

James Purnell: Since the passing of the Licensing Act 2003, my Department has received many representations from the police raising issues relating to the likely effects of the Act. The police have provided frequent and valuable advice to the Government, in particular, in the development of the guidance to police officers on the operation of closure powers in the Act.

Licensing

Annette Brooke: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport what guidance she has issued to local authorities on the circumstances in which they should write to residents to inform them of applications for premises licences under the Licensing Act 2003.

James Purnell: Requirements aimed at bringing licence applications to the attention of interested parties likely to be affected by them are not matters of guidance but of primary and secondary legislation. Under the Licensing Act 2003 (Premises Licences and Club Premises Certificates) Regulations 2005 (2005 No. 42), applicants are required to display a notice prominently at or on the premises and to advertise their application in a local newspaper or newsletter. The 2003 Act also requires that licensing authorities must place details of applications on its licensing register which must be available to the public.
	Nothing in the 2003 Act prevents licensing authorities from taking supplementary action to bring applications to the attention of individuals living in the vicinity of the premises concerned, but that is a matter for them to decide.
	We are committed to monitoring closely how the new regime operates in practice and this will include looking at evidence about the effectiveness of requirements such as those on the advertising of applications. Where the evidence suggests that the system could be more effective, we will consider revising the guidance or, if necessary, asking Parliament to amend the legislation.

Licensing

Annette Brooke: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport what guidance she has issued to local authorities on the circumstances in which a local councillor may (a) speak on behalf of residents at an open local authority licensing committee meeting dealing with an application and (b) inform constituents by circular leaflet of applications for a premises licence under the Licensing Act 2003.

James Purnell: As regards (a) , under paragraph 5.32 of the guidance issued under section 182 of the Licensing Act 2003, a local ward councillor may, if asked, make representations on behalf of persons or businesses, or associations representing them. However, it would be expected that any councillor who is also a member of the licensing committee and who is making such representations would disqualify him or herself from any involvement in the decision-making process. The Licensing Act 2003 (Hearings) Regulations 2005 sets out the procedure for who can speak at a hearing. The Secretary of State and I wrote to local authorities on 30 September 2005 about licensing and confirmed that there is nothing to stop a local councillor from making representations if asked to by residents, nor from seeking views of residents on licensing matters, as they would for any other issue.
	With respect to (b) , it is the responsibility of the person making the application to advertise this, by displaying a notice and by advertising in a local newspaper or newsletter, in conformity with the statutory provisions. It is for local councillors themselves to decide whether to communicate with constituents about license applications, and, if so, by what means.

Licensing

Theresa May: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport 
	(1)  how many licensees have (a) applied for and (b) been granted a new licence to increase their trading hours for serving alcohol under the Licensing Act 2003;
	(2)  how many licensees (a) have applied for and (b) been granted a new alcohol licence which does not extend their trading hours under the Licensing Act 2003.

James Purnell: holding answer 28 October 2005
	Data on applications of the kind requested are not currently available, but my Department estimates that around 190,000 applications for premises licences and club premises certificates were submitted by 24 October 2005—about 98 per cent. of the total applications expected.
	It would be a significant exercise to gather more detailed information from the 400 licensing authorities, and we believe that this is best done once the transitional period is complete and all applications have been processed. However, industry bodies estimate that about 40 per cent. of the 60,000 pubs and bars in England and Wales have not sought a variation, and that the remainder have sought to extend their hours.

Licensing

Theresa May: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport how many licences to serve alcohol have been (a) applied for and (b) granted under the Licensing Act 2003.

James Purnell: holding answer 27 October 2005
	Data on applications of the kind requested are not currently available, but my Department estimates that around 190,000 applications for premises licences and club premises certificates were submitted by 24 October 2005—about 98 per cent. of the total applications expected.
	It would be a significant exercise to gather more detailed information from the 400 licensing authorities, and we believe that this is best done once the transitional period is complete and all applications have been processed. However, industry bodies estimate that about 40 per cent. of the 60,000 pubs and bars in England and Wales have not sought a variation, and that the remainder have sought to extend their hours.

Literacy and Numeracy

Nick Gibb: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport how many employees in her Department requested training to improve their (a) literacy and (b) numeracy skills in each year since 2002.

David Lammy: The number of employees requesting such training is not recorded centrally in the form that has been requested.
	Where staff have requested such training, this has usually been training on refining writing style or perfecting knowledge of grammar, and this has been provided through person-to-person coaching or externally provided training.

Literacy and Numeracy

Nick Gibb: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport what steps she is taking to promote uptake of the national tests in adult literacy and numeracy among employees of her Department.

David Lammy: The Department's learning and development policy details literacy and numeracy skills training opportunities for DCMS employees. The document is available for all DCMS staff via the DCMS intranet.
	The policy states that if a DCMS employee or their line manager identifies that they may have a literacy or numeracy skills gap, the DCMS Learning and Development team can provide advice and support. If appropriate, the Department can arrange for the employee to be screened to identify the nature and extent of their learning needs. If a literacy or numeracy need is identified, the Department will then arrange and fund appropriate training and sitting of national tests.

Literacy and Numeracy

Nick Gibb: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport how much her Department spent on in-house training on (a) literacy and (b) numeracy (i) in total and (ii) per head in each year since 2002.

David Lammy: The amount spent per head on such training is not recorded centrally in the form that has been requested.

Priority Groups

Michael Penning: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport what progress has been made in the take-up of cultural activities by new users from priority groups; and if she will make a statement.

David Lammy: The Department have already met and exceeded its public service agreement targets to increase the number of new users from priority groups to national and regional museums and the historic environment by March 2006.
	The Arts attendance and participation targets each have three sub-targets. Based on the latest survey information, only one of the six targets is currently on target to be met.
	I have asked Arts Council England to put in place a plan of remedial action, which will be monitored by the Department.

Television Licences

Andrew Rosindell: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport whether the Government plans to cap the amount the BBC can charge for a television licence.

James Purnell: We have begun an assessment of the BBC's future funding needs, in line with our commitment in the Green Paper published in March of this year: this process will continue over the coming months and we will announce the outcome in due course.

DEPUTY PRIME MINISTER

Audit Commission

Mike Hancock: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister how much has been paid in fees to the Audit Commission by each local authority in England in each of the last two years.

Phil Woolas: This is an operational matter for the Audit Commission. I will ask the chief executive to write to the hon. Member and to ensure the answer is made available in the Library of the House.

Building Regulations

David Howarth: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister pursuant to the oral answer to the hon. Member for West Aberdeenshire and Kincardine (Sir Robert Smith) of 19 October 2005, Official Report, column 826, on building regulations, if he will publish the papers containing the grounds for the claim that the changes proposed to Part L of the Building Regulations will improve existing minimum standards for energy efficiency in new homes by 40 per cent.

Yvette Cooper: holding answer 28 October 2005
	Changes proposed to Building Regulations are supported by a Regulatory Impact Assessment (RIA) identifying the costs and benefits. The 2002 Part L RIA and a draft of the 2006 one can be found on the Office of the Deputy Prime Minister website. The final 2006 RIA will be published before the revised regulations come into effect in April. Changes to Part L of the Building Regulations in 2005–06 when combined with changes introduced in 2002 will improve the energy efficiency of new buildings by 40 per cent.

Casinos

Caroline Spelman: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister pursuant to the answer of 17 October 2005, Official Report, column 805W, on casinos, if he will place in the Library copies of the planning appeals relating to casinos that have been considered by (a) the Planning Inspectorate and (b) the First Secretary of State in the last two years.

Yvette Cooper: The Planning Inspectorate has decided six appeals with a casino element over the last two years. Copies of these decisions have been made available in the Libraries of the House.

Council Tax

Caroline Spelman: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister pursuant to the answer of 19 October 2005, Official Report, columns 1012–13W, on council tax, if he will list the preparatory work that the Valuation Office Agency carried out on the English council tax revaluation.

Phil Woolas: The preparatory work carried out by the Valuation Office Agency for the English council tax revaluation involved the development of the automated valuation model (AVM) and the assessing, updating and digitising of property data for all dwellings. I refer the hon. Member to the answer given on 26 October 2005, Official Report, column 447W. The instructions and advice documents, placed in the Library of the House following that answer, and the press releases of 5 September 2003 and 10 September 2004, relating to the AVM, detail the preparatory work. The press releases can be accessed, on line, via the Valuation Office Agency's website, www.voa.gov.uk.

Council Tax

David Davies: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister what the costs of council tax rebanding exercises have been to date.

Phil Woolas: I refer the hon. Member to the answer given to the hon. Member for Meriden (Mrs. Spelman) on 25 October 2005, Official Report, column 327W.

Departmental Consultation

Peter Ainsworth: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister if he will list formal consultations being sponsored by his Department and its agencies; and what the (a) commencement date and (b) deadline for responses is in each case.

Jim Fitzpatrick: The following consultations are currently sponsored by the Office of the Deputy Prime Minister and its agencies, and are available on our website.
	
		
			 Department/  Agency  Title of consultation  Commencement date  Deadline for responses 
		
		
			 ODPM Amending the Definition of a Caravan 10 August 2005 2 November 2005 
			 ODPM Proposals for amending Part B (Fire safety) of the Building Regulations 19 July 2005 18 November 2005 
			 ODPM Annexes to Minerals Policy Statement 1 21 July 2005 31 October 2005 
			 ODPM Building Regulations and Fire Safety: Procedural guidance 22 August 2005 14 November 2005 
			 ODPM Emergencies for Fire and Rescue Authorities 16 September 2005 13 December 2005 
			 ODPM Recruitment and Progression of Fire and Rescue Service staff 9 September 2005 2 December 2005 
			 ODPM Applying the Planning Acts to the Crown 23 September 2005 16 December 2005

Disabled Facilities Grant

Gregory Barker: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister pursuant to the answer to the hon. Member for Clwyd, South (Mr. Jones) of 19 July 2005, Official Report, column 1542W, on the disabled facilities grant, 
	(1)  what progress has been made with the review; and if he will make a statement;
	(2)  what representations he has received as part of the review of the disabled facilities grant; and if he will make a statement.

Yvette Cooper: I refer the hon. Member to the written statement made on 27 October 2005, Official Report, column 14WS, about the review of disabled facilities grant.

Disabled Facilities Grant

Gregory Barker: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister what representations he has received regarding the review of the disabled facilities grant; and when he plans to make the findings of the review public.

Yvette Cooper: holding answer 24 October 2005
	I refer the hon. Member to the written statement made on 27 October 2005, Official Report, column 14WS, about the review of disabled facilities grant.

Empty Dwelling Management Orders

Caroline Spelman: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister whether empty dwelling management orders will be applicable to empty public sector (a) residential and (b) commercial properties.

Yvette Cooper: Privately owned empty homes account for 85 per cent. of all vacant homes. The provisions of the Housing Act 2004 relating to empty dwelling management orders do not apply where the relevant proprietor is a public sector body.

Empty Dwelling Management Orders

Caroline Spelman: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister how empty dwelling management orders will operate in relation to private sector properties empty because of the death of the owner.

Yvette Cooper: A local housing authority will be able to apply to a residential property tribunal for approval to make an empty dwelling management order where a dwelling has been wholly unoccupied for at least the prescribed period of time and is not excepted by virtue of an order made by the appropriate national authority.
	The Housing Act 2004 provides that the appropriate national authority may by order prescribe exceptions to the making of empty dwelling management orders where the vacancy arose following the death of the relevant proprietor. The Office of the Deputy Prime Minister has recently undertaken a consultation exercise on proposed exceptions and is currently considering how these will apply to unoccupied dwellings where the relevant proprietor has died.

Green Belt

Michael Penning: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister what powers the regional chambers have to review green belt designation; and if he will make a statement.

Yvette Cooper: I refer the hon. Member to the answer given on 14 June 2005, Official Report, columns 271–72W.

Green Belt

Greg Mulholland: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister what steps his Department has taken to prevent the practice of land banking in green belt areas.

Yvette Cooper: The planning system is in place to control the use and development of land, not its ownership. The Office of the Deputy Prime Minister is aware, however, of companies buying agricultural land in green belt areas and subdividing it into small plots for sale where there is little prospect of development being allowed. In April last year officials wrote to local planning authorities, reminding them of their enforcement powers and urging them to engage in publicity to give prospective purchasers of rural plots a more realistic idea of local plan policies and other restraints on development, including the presence of Green Belt.

Green Belt

Greg Mulholland: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister what area of land within the green belt has been the subject of planning permission granted for housing development since 1997.

Yvette Cooper: The information on planning permissions granted for housing development within the green belt is not held centrally and could be provided only at disproportionate cost.

Housing Association Tenants

Andrew Pelling: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister when the bar to the right to acquire their home at a discount will be lifted for tenants of properties built or acquired by housing associations before 1 April 1997.

Yvette Cooper: The Government have no plans to change the eligibility for the Right to Acquire scheme. However, the Government are introducing a Social Homebuy product in April 2006 which will help social tenants to buy a minimum 25 per cent. share at a discount.
	Details of the Social Homebuy proposals are outlined in the Office of the Deputy Prime Minister's Consultation Paper Homebuy-expanding the opportunity to own", launched in April 2005 and the Government's Response to this consultation which was published on 14 September 2005. The Consultation Paper is available in the House of Commons Library and the Government's response can be accessed on the Office of the Deputy Prime Minister's website.

Local Government Pensions

Caroline Spelman: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister pursuant to the answer of 19 October 2005, Official Report, column 1015W, on local government pensions, what the (a) assets, (b) funding shortfall and (c) total scheme liability was for each of the scheme administering authorities.

Phil Woolas: The information requested, for scheme pension fund administering authorities in England, has been placed on the relevant website. The address is www.xoq83.dial.pipex.com.

Market Towns (Housing Density)

Jeremy Hunt: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister if he will (a) set limits on the housing density of market towns and (b) ensure that changes to housing density in market towns takes place only after consultation with local residents.

Yvette Cooper: It is for local planning authorities to set appropriate levels of density for housing development in their areas, including in market towns, through the development plan process, having regard to the Government's national policy on housing densities. Current national policy in Planning Policy Guidance note 3 Housing" was set out in my answer to the hon. Member of 14 October 2005, Official Report, column 613W. Local planning authorities are required to involve their communities in the preparation of, and any proposed changes to, their development plans. The Government intend to publish for consultation a new national policy framework for planning for housing through draft Planning Policy Statement 3 later this year.

Pensions

David Laws: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister what his estimate is of the cost savings to the Exchequer of introducing a pension scheme retirement age of 65 years for all firemen, local government employees and employees of his Department and its agencies from 2025; and if he will make a statement.

Phil Woolas: The normal retirement age in the Local Government Pension Scheme is already 65 and current proposals are that it should be 60 for new entrants to the Firefighters' Pension Scheme.
	Pension provision under the Principal Civil Service Pension Scheme is the responsibility of the Cabinet Office.

Regional Chambers

Caroline Spelman: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister whether the regional chambers are bound by the code of recommended practice on local authority publicity.

Yvette Cooper: The regional Assemblies as voluntary bodies are not subject to the code of recommended practice on local authority publicity. However, the Office of the Deputy Prime Minister would expect Assemblies in their own operation to have regard to the broad principles contained in the code.

Regional Chambers

Caroline Spelman: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister whether the regional chambers are subject to scrutiny by district auditors.

Yvette Cooper: The payment of Government grant is conditional upon each regional Assembly keeping relevant accounts and ensuring they are audited by an independent external auditor.
	Regional Assemblies as voluntary bodies are not bodies to which the Audit Commission can appoint auditors. However, where the accountable body for an Assembly is a local authority, the Audit Commission may seek approval from the Secretary of State to appoint auditors at the request of an Assembly.

Regional Fire Control Centres

Austin Mitchell: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister what were the reasons for announcing site locations for the proposed regional fire control centres in advance of (a) completion of and (b) consultation upon the business case for the Fire Control Project; and if he will make a statement.

Jim Fitzpatrick: The Office of the Deputy Prime Minister did not announce the site locations in advance of consultation on the business case. The FiReControl business case, in accordance with Treasury guidance, is subject to a three stage development process: strategic, outline and full. The first two stages are complete. The project is also subject to the Office of Government Commerce Gateway Review process, which reviews the business case at these stages in order to provide confidence that the investment decision can be taken. In 2004, we consulted fire and rescue authorities on the recommendations of the Mott MacDonald report The Future of Fire and Rescue Service Control Rooms in England and Wales: Update 2003", on which the strategic business case was based. We also consulted them on the outline business case before the decision was taken to proceed with the accommodation procurement. The outline business case is the key document for the purposes of assessing the strength of the case for the project. The full business case will not be available until we have actual costs for the technology/infrastructure services procurement, and final cost information. It will not be subject to further consultation unless the strength and structure of the arguments change significantly.

Rural Housing

David Drew: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister how many houses have been built in rural settlements in the last five years.

Yvette Cooper: New build completions data is only available at local authority level therefore it is not possible to say how many dwellings have been built in rural settlements, only in local authorities that are classified as rural. This will therefore include dwellings built in towns that are inside a local authority classified as rural.
	The annual numbers of new build completions since 2000–01 for English local authorities defined as rural by DEFRA's Rural Definition and Local Authority Classification are in the table:
	
		Dwellings built in local authorities classified as rural"(28)
		
			  Number 
		
		
			 2000–01 60,255 
			 2001–02 60,057 
			 2002–03 62,291 
			 2003–04 60,826 
			 2004–05 61,415 
		
	
	(28) Category 4, 5 and 6 (see below) local authorities are considered to be rural and have been used to produce the data on new build housing completions. There are 178 English local authorities that are in these categories.
	The classification used to define local authorities is as follows:
	1. Major Urban: districts with either 100,000 people or 50 per cent. of their population in urban areas with a population of more than 750,000.
	2. Large Urban: districts with either 50,000 people or 50 per cent. of their population in one of 17 urban areas with a population between 250,000 and 750,000.
	3. Other Urban: districts with fewer than 37,000 people or less than 26 per cent. of their population in rural settlements and larger market towns.
	4. Significant Rural: districts with more than 37,000 people or more than 26 per cent. of their population in rural settlements and larger market towns.
	5. Rural-50: districts with at least 50 per cent. but less than 80 per cent. of their population in rural settlements and larger market towns.
	6. Rural-80: districts with at least 80 per cent. of their population in rural settlements and larger market towns.
	For further information on the classification of local authorities please see following rural definitions web link: http://statistics. defra.gov.uk/esg/rural_resd/rural_definition. asp
	Source:
	P2/NHBC New Build Completions data

Social Housing

Jeremy Corbyn: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister what advice he has given to housing associations on (a) their obligation to provide social housing and (b) the sale of their property with vacant possession.

Yvette Cooper: The Housing Corporation's registration guidance makes clear that to obtain registered social landlords (RSL) status, the majority of a housing association's business activity (51 per cent. or more) should be in the provision of social housing. This expectation is reiterated in the corporation's good practice note on diversification activity. RSLs have a duty to co-operate with local authorities to enable the latter to fulfil their duties to the homeless, people in priority housing need, the vulnerable and those covered by the Government's Supporting People policy. RSLs provide a proportion of their stock to local authority nominations and temporary accommodation to the homeless. These requirements are set out in the corporation's Regulatory Code and guidance.
	When in receipt of funding from the Housing Corporation, RSLs must meet agreed funding conditions. All funding is subject to the provisions of the Housing Act 1996 and the corporation's published criteria, procedures and audit arrangements. Non-compliance with these requirements may result in the withdrawal of allocations and recovery of grant. Grant funding is also conditional upon the RSL meeting the Housing Corporation's Regulatory Code.
	The voluntary disposal of properties by housing associations requires the consent of the Housing Corporation under section 9 of the Housing Act 1996. The corporation's regulatory circular (number 03/03) advises registered and unregistered housing associations on the requirements of Section 9.

Social Housing

Austin Mitchell: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister if he will commission research on the impact of tenants and tenant representation on the running of social housing by (a) registered social landlords and (b) local authorities; and if he will make a statement.

Yvette Cooper: The Housing Corporation requires all registered social landlords to actively facilitate resident involvement and to report annually on outcomes. The corporation intends to commission a project to measure the delivery of these policy objectives with the housing association sector, and to prepare guidance to enable associations to measure the targets and impact of their annual involvement statements. The corporation has also commissioned a survey of residents seeking their views on, among other things, their involvement in the management of their homes.
	In 2002 the Office of the Deputy Prime Minister commissioned an interim evaluation of tenant participation compacts in local authority housing, to inform a review of the national framework guidance published in 1999. The evaluation reviewed progress on implementing tenant participation arrangements through compacts, including impact on tenants and tenant participation generally. The findings were fed into the revised national framework guidance published in March 2005.
	Although the Office of the Deputy Prime Minister and the Housing Corporation currently have no plans to commission research in addition to that already mentioned, they will continue to keep this under review.

Telecommunications Masts

Jeremy Browne: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister if the Government will require mobile telecommunications companies to receive positive assent to a proposal to erect a telecommunications mast before proceeding with its construction.

Yvette Cooper: All ground based masts are already subject to planning control so that if the local authority considers that the development will pose a serious threat to amenity, it is able to refuse approval. For masts over 15 metres in height a planning application is required. For masts under 15 metres in height a prior approval application is required.
	Local planning authorities have the opportunity to deal with prior approval applications in the same way as a normal planning application so long as they act within eight weeks. Eight weeks is also the performance target for dealing with most planning applications for telecommunications developments.

Thames Gateway

John Pugh: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister under what budget headings he expects his Department's contribution to the Thames Gateway project to be spent.

Yvette Cooper: The schemes which have been approved for funding from the Thames Gateway Programme Fund are distributed as follows:
	
		
			  £ million 
		
		
			 UDC, local regeneration partnerships and  masterplanning 25 
			 Land purchase and remediation 199 
			 Employment 22 
			 Housing 72 
			 Environment 28 
			 Town centres 27 
			 Education 55 
			 Liveability 15 
			 Transport 72 
			 Utilities 10 
			 Total 525

Travellers

Michael Penning: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister what plans the Government have to issue new guidance on illegal Traveller camps and unauthorised development; and if he will make a statement.

Yvette Cooper: The Government have established a Gypsy and Traveller Unit within the Office of the Deputy Prime Minister, and one of its aims is to help local authorities to improve their enforcement powers. As part of its work, the Unit is also looking at the operation of these powers to see if further action or guidance is required.

Vacant Homes

Nigel Evans: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister how many vacant homes there are in Lancashire; and for what average period houses were vacant in each of the last five years.

Phil Woolas: holding answer 26 October 2005
	The number of vacant homes by local authority area in Lancashire for the last five years is presented in the following table:
	
		
			  Number of vacant dwellings in Lancashire 
		
		
			 2000 22,252 
			 2001 23,458 
			 2002 21,526 
			 2003 20,992 
			 2004 20,442 
		
	
	The data used for 2000 and 2001 uses a combination of tenure figures available from local authorities' Housing Strategy Statistical Appendix (HSSA) returns to the Office of the Deputy Prime Minister and Registered Social Landlords' Regulatory Statistical Return (RSR) to the Housing Corporation. The data is as 1 April each year.
	The data for years 2002 onwards is as reported on CTB1 & CTB1S forms submitted by billing authorities to ODPM each year. The figures include both long and short-term empty properties. The data is as reported at a set date in November each year. It is expected that for the two sets of figures, the difference between two snap-shot dates would be insignificant.
	Information on the average period houses were vacant is not available centrally.

Vacant Homes

Gordon Prentice: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister if he will list the 20 local authorities with the greatest number of empty private sector properties at the latest date for which figures are available; how many such properties each has; and what percentage of the total private sector housing stock that figure represents in each case.

Yvette Cooper: The 20 local authorities with the greatest number of empty private sector properties at 1 April 2005 are provided in the following table:
	
		Local authorities who reported the 20 highest figures for number of private sector vacant dwellings within their area at 1 April 2005
		
			 Local authority Number of private sector vacant dwellings Private sector vacant dwellings as a percentage of private sector stock 
		
		
			 Birmingham 15,359 5.1 
			 Manchester 11,670 9.2 
			 Liverpool 10,622 7.3 
			 Leeds 10,585 4.4 
			 Bradford 8,083 4.9 
			 Kirklees 5,764 4.1 
			 Sefton 5,625 5.4 
			 Sheffield 5,585 3.4 
			 Kingston upon Hull 5,533 7.1 
			 Stoke-on-Trent 5,508 6.6 
			 Wirral 5,259 4.5 
			 Leicester 5,129 6.0 
			 Newcastle upon Tyne 4,806 5.9 
			 Salford 4,683 6.7 
			 Bromley 4,501 4.0 
			 Wandsworth 4,432 4.5 
			 Wigan 4,340 4.1 
			 Croydon 4,296 3.7 
			 Bristol 4,287 3.2 
			 Doncaster 4,206 4.1 
		
	
	Source:
	Housing Strategy Statistical Appendix (HSSA) return.

DEFENCE

Aircraft Crashes

James Arbuthnot: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence whether the offices of the (a) Officer Commanding Flying/Chief Superintendent at Boscombe Down and (b) the Air Officer Commander in Chief HQSTC hold copies of remarks they made in the Board of Inquiry into the crash of RAF Harrier GR7 ZG475 on 1 June 1995.

Don Touhig: A search of the records at Headquarters RAF Strike Command has been conducted, but no copy of the remarks made by the Air Officer Commanding in Chief can be found. RAF Boscombe Down has transferred all the files from that period to archives; the relevant file is being recalled, and I will write further to the right hon. Member when the search of that file has been completed.

Armed Forces Recruitment

William McCrea: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how much has been spent on recruitment in Northern Ireland for the armed forces in each year since 2001.

Don Touhig: The information is not held centrally in the format requested. Nevertheless, the full recruiting costs specific for Northern Ireland for the Naval Service and the RAF in each full year since financial year 2001–02 were as follows:
	
		£ million
		
			 Financial year Naval Service RAF (29)Army 
		
		
			 2001–02 0.176 0.260 — 
			 2002–03 0.189 0.286 — 
			 2003–04 0.180 0.284 — 
			 2004–05 0.124 0.289 2.907 
		
	
	(29) Prior to FY 2004–05, it is not possible to identify accurately how much was spent on Army recruiting by specific areas.

Combat Vehicles

Ann Winterton: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how many (a) Scorpion and (b) Sabre vehicles were withdrawn from service in 2004; and which vehicles replaced them.

Adam Ingram: The Scorpion was withdrawn from service in 1995 and not replaced. 132 of the vehicles were converted into the Sabre variant and 32 were converted to Salamander. The Sabre fleet was withdrawn from service in 2004 and not replaced. The CVR(T) fleet as a whole is scheduled to be replaced by elements of the Future Rapid Effects System (FRES) suite of vehicles and the Panther Command and Liaison Vehicle (CLV). The initial variants of FRES are due to be in service early in the next decade and the Panther is due to come into service in 2007.

Dean Hill

Robert Key: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence when he expects to announce the name of the purchaser of the Dean Hill site; and if he will make a statement about the future use of the site.

Don Touhig: The closing date for tenders for the main site (of about 156 ha in size) is 10 November 2005. We hope to be able to select a preferred bidder early in December 2005 and to complete the sale by the end of February 2006. It is unlikely that the name of the successful bidder will be made public until after we have exchanged contracts during February 2006.
	Additionally, four former owners have expressed an interest in buying back their agricultural land outside the security fence and the remaining agricultural land outside the wire is being offered for sale to tenant farmers.
	All of the houses have now been sold except for one which is likely to be bought by a housing association.

Departmental Energy Consumption

Norman Lamb: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how much energy has been consumed by his Department in each of the last five years; and how much was spent on energy in each year.

Don Touhig: The table details the amount of energy consumed by the Ministry of Defence in the last five years—reported in energy returns from Top Level Budgets.
	
		
			  kWh (weather corrected) 
			  Electricity Fossil Fuels (inc. heat) Total 
		
		
			 1999–2000 2,053,855,955 5,459,147,848 7,513,003,803 
			 2000–01 2,082,485,055 5,318,547,824 7,401,032,879 
			 2001–02 1,894,069,084 5,275,735,227 7,169,804,311 
			 2002–03 1,995,090,434 5,197,327,134 7,192,417,568 
			 2003–04 2,056,585,715 5,286,484,600 7,343,070,315 
			 2004–05 2,012,300,237 5,530,636,511 7,542,936,748 
		
	
	Since 2000–01 the Ministry of Defence has reported aggregated utilities (gas, electricity and water supply) expenditure in the Departmental Resources and Accounts. Separate energy costs are not collated. Expenditure on utilities are also published in the National Statistics Publication: UK Defence Statistics 2005: Table 1.8a. Defence Expenditure Outturn in the UK by Industry Group. A copy is available in the Library of the House.

Future Rapid Effects System

Ann Winterton: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence whether the Future Rapid Effects System Fleet review has been (a) framed and (b) completed; and if he will make a statement.

Adam Ingram: It is planned to hold the Fleet Review in December 2005. This will be the opportunity to assess the performance, time and cost characteristics of candidate solutions to the FRES requirement and to focus the future programme of analysis.

Gulf War Veterans

Peter Robinson: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how many Gulf War veterans live in Northern Ireland.

Don Touhig: The Ministry of Defence does not routinely compile information on the whereabouts of Gulf veterans.

Gulf War Veterans

Elfyn Llwyd: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how many of the personal medical records of veterans from Wales of the 1990–91 Gulf conflict have been lost.

Don Touhig: Medical records of members of the armed forces are not held centrally. For those veterans still serving, medical records are normally held locally by Service Medical Officers. For individuals who have left the Services, the normal practice is to offer the records to their GPs for permanent retention. It is not possible, therefore, to estimate the number that may have been lost.
	In October 2001, Ministry of Defence published the paper Medical Records in the Gulf". This paper describes the arrangements for medical record keeping during the 1990–91 Gulf conflict; discusses a number of reasons why records that were kept may not have been complete, and provides guidance to Gulf veterans on how to obtain their service medical records. A copy of this paper is in the Library of the House and it is available on the MoD's website at: www.gulfwar.mod.uk.

Gulf War Veterans

Elfyn Llwyd: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence when he expects the final report on the Porton Down studies into vaccines administered to service men and women during the 1990–91 Gulf conflict to be published.

Don Touhig: Interim results from the main study in our Vaccines Interactions Research Programme, announced on 1 April 2003, Official Report, column 55WS, have been published and show no apparent adverse health consequences following the administration of vaccines and/or pyridostigmine bromide (the active ingredient in Nerve Agent Pre-treatment tablets). Final results are expected to be submitted for peer-reviewed publication this year.

Gulf War Veterans

Elfyn Llwyd: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how many veterans from Wales of the 1990–91 Gulf conflict have been examined as part of the Medical Assessment Programme.

Don Touhig: As at 20 October 2005, at the time they attended Gulf Veterans' Medical Assessment Programme, 113 Gulf veterans from the 1990–91 conflict were recorded with addresses in Wales.

Inoculations

Michael Moore: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how many (a) regulars and (b) reservists have had the necessary inoculations as recommended by his Department prior to deployment; how many have paid for their own inoculations in each year since March 2003; and if he will make a statement.

Don Touhig: holding answer 25 October 2005
	Vaccination status is an important aspect of operational readiness of armed forces personnel. The Ministry of Defence has a duty of care to all its personnel, although vaccinations are accepted voluntarily and can be refused by individuals.
	Information on regular and reservist inoculations is held in different formats and at different levels by the single Services and as such it is not possible to provide a full account of the vaccination status of the armed forces as a whole. To provide this information, individual medical records from all Services would have to be examined at disproportionate cost.
	Every effort is made to ensure that personnel do not pay for their inoculations themselves. While this situation is rare, it can occur if reservists visit their own GP prior to deployment to receive any recommended vaccines. However, provided the individual has a record of their immunisation, they can apply to have any costs incurred reimbursed.
	The exact number of personnel who have paid for a recommended inoculation is unknown. This information would have to be collated from individual medical records and could be provided only at disproportionate cost.

Lloyd Inquiry

Elfyn Llwyd: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what discussions he has had with the right hon. Lord Lloyd of Berwick regarding the evidence submitted by the Department to the Lloyd Inquiry; and if he will make a statement.

Don Touhig: Transcripts of correspondence between this Department and Lord Lloyd's inquiry were included in the inquiry's report, a copy of which can be found at www.lloyd-gwii.com. Following publication of his report no further such discussions have taken place with Lord Lloyd.

Married Quarters

Michael Ancram: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what assessment his Department has made of the impact of the Civil Partnerships Act 2004 on demand for married quarters.

Don Touhig: It is not possible to identify the number of service personnel who will elect to enter into a civil partnership. However, it is assessed that the numbers will be small and any associated requirement for service families accommodation would be absorbed within the existing housing management margin.

Medical Assessment Programme

Elfyn Llwyd: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what progress is being made in studies into reproductive problems reported by some service men and women who served in the Gulf in 1990–91.

Don Touhig: The Ministry of Defence has funded an independent study of the reproductive health of UK veterans of the 1990–91 Gulf Conflict through the Medical Research Council (MRC). The findings of the study, which was undertaken by researchers from the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine, have been published in medical/scientific journals and are on our website at: www.mod.uk/issues/gulfwar/research/health.htm
	The Military Health Research Advisory Group of the MRC considered the findings. They advised that there is little more to be learnt from reproductive studies on these veterans and that they did not expect to be making any new recommendations for further research in this area. We are guided by that advice.

Medical Assessment Programme

Elfyn Llwyd: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what steps the Department has taken to monitor service personnel who have been examined as part of the Medical Assessment Programme.

Don Touhig: The consultant at the Gulf Veterans' Medical Assessment Programme (GVMAP) writes to the referring doctor immediately after the consultation with a copy of the assessment report and then later, usually within six weeks, sends a letter with test results. Patients who wish to see their report and who have signed a consent form are automatically sent a copy of the medical assessment report and test results at the same time as both are sent to the referring doctor.
	We ask referring doctors to co-operate in taking forward treatment recommendations and in responding to any inquiries about a patient's progress. The GVMAP will send a standard follow up letter to all GPs about ill patients who have been referred, asking for information on the patient's condition and subsequent treatment. This is usually done within six months of the GVMAP appointment.
	For those patients referred to our network of specified Post Traumatic Stress Disorder centres there is an automatic follow up at one year. A paper has been published in Military Medicine, May 2005, on the clinical outcomes of such referrals.
	Responsibility for the primary care of patients rests with GPs and it is for the GP to decide on what further treatment should be considered. Unless contacted by the GP the GVMAP cannot, nor should, interfere in the GP/patient relationship.

Missing Weapons

Stephen Crabb: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence 
	(1)  how many Army (a) handguns and (b) rifles went missing in the UK during the last year for which figures are available;
	(2)  how many missing Army handguns and rifles were recovered in the last year for which figures are available.

Adam Ingram: holding answer 25 October 2005
	The information requested for the period 26 October 2004 to 15 October 2005 is detailed in the following table:
	
		
			 Date loss reported Weapon Type Recovered 
		
		
			 26 October 2004 2X9 mm Pistols 0 
			 15 April 2005 1XRifle 0 
			 28 April 2005 2X9 mm Pistols 0 
			 21 July 2005 3X.22 Rifles 0 
			 6 October 2005 1XRifle 0 
			 15 October 2005 1XPistol 1 
			
			 Total 10 1

Operation Telic

Elfyn Llwyd: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how many service men and women who have served in Operation Telic have reported illnesses similar to those reported by veterans of the Gulf War.

Don Touhig: Information on all the illnesses reported by members of the armed forces is not held centrally. For serving personnel, medical records are normally held locally by service medical officers. For individuals who have left the services, the normal practice is to offer the records to their GP for permanent retention.
	As a result of the lessons learned during the 1990–91 Gulf Conflict, the Ministry of Defence took early action to put in place a large scale and long-term epidemiological study to monitor the physical and psychological health of personnel who served in Operation TELIC. This research is being undertaken by King's College, London and the results are expected to be published in 2006. If any unusual patterns of illness are found, they will be addressed as soon as possible.

Personnel Service Files

David Mundell: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what his plans are for the storage and retention of existing service files of Second World War personnel.

Don Touhig: The Service personnel records of those who served during the Second World War will continue to be retained by the Ministry of Defence. Initial discussions have taken place with staff from The National Archives that are likely to lead to the eventual transfer of the records to the National Archives at Kew.

Royal Irish Regiment

Gregory Campbell: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence when he expects to respond to representations made to him by a number of hon. Members on 1 September regarding the future of the Home Service Royal Irish Regiment.

Adam Ingram: We are grateful for the representations we received in response to our request for views on the future of the personnel of The Royal Irish (Home Service). Work is in progress to develop the details of the settlement for Home Service personnel, but at this stage we are unable to give a firm indication of when we will be able to make a substantive announcement.
	We recognise that members of the Home Service are anxious to know the outcome of this work, which is being taken forward as a matter of urgency so that we can inform them at the earliest opportunity.

Territorial Army

Ann Winterton: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what the average time period is between an infantry Territorial Army private qualifying on basic training phases 1 and 2 and being called up for a six month tour of operational duty.

Don Touhig: As records are not held centrally, the level of detail sought in the question can be provided only at disproportionate cost.

Territorial Army

Ann Winterton: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how many infantry Territorial Army privates have volunteered to serve a further tour of operational duty since March 2003.

Don Touhig: As records are not held centrally, the level of detail sought in the question can be provided only at disproportionate cost. However, I can confirm that in total, some 1,350 members of the Territorial Army have been mobilized for a second or subsequent tour.

Territorial Army

Ann Winterton: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence 
	(1)  how many personnel (a) signed up as infantry Territorial Army privates and (b) qualified under phase 1 and 2 of basic training between March 2003 and June 2005;
	(2)  how many infantry Territorial Army privates left the service between March 2003 and June 2005.

Don Touhig: Between 1 March 2003 and 30 June 2005 some 3,800 people were recruited as infantry Territorial Army (TA) privates and some 1,300 private infantry soldiers completed their phase 1 and 2 training. In that same period some 1,960 privates left the service. These figures do not include those joining or serving in the University Officer Training Corps, full time reserve staff and non regular permanent staff.

Territorial Army

Ann Winterton: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how many (a) infantry Territorial Army (TA) privates, (b) infantry TA non-commissioned officers and (c) officers are serving in the Territorial Army.

Don Touhig: As at 1 September 2005 there were approximately 4,110 privates, 2,300 non-commissioned officers (lance corporals and above), and 780 officers serving in the infantry Territorial Army. These figures do not include non regular permanent staff or those serving in the University Officer Training Corps, or on full time reserve service.
	Note:
	Rounding: Where rounding has been used, totals and sub-totals have been rounded separately and so may not appear to be the sum of their parts. When rounding to the nearest 10, numbers ending in 5" have been rounded to the nearest multiple of 20 to prevent systematic bias.

Territorial Army

Michael Ancram: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence if he will list the (a) peacetime, (b) wartime and (c) estimated actual strength of the Territorial Army (i) as a total and (ii) broken down by individual corps; and what actual strength of the (A) infantry and (B) yeomanry is.

Don Touhig: I assume that the right hon. and learned Member is referring to the peacetime and wartime establishments of the Territorial Army (TA). The TA does not have separate peacetime or wartime establishments. The current establishment of 41,610 remains at all times. The actual strength of the TA as at 1 September 2005 as a total is 35,560 (including some 1,120 mobilised personnel) and can be found broken down by individual corps, including the Infantry and the Yeomanry (known as the Royal Armoured Corps) in the following table:
	
		
			 Arm/service Strength (including mobilised personnel) 
		
		
			 Staff 90 
			 Royal Armoured Corps 1,270 
			 Royal Artillery 2,170 
			 Royal Engineers 2,430 
			 Royal Signals 3,880 
			 Infantry 7,180 
			 Army Air Corps 110 
			 Royal Army Chaplains Division 60 
			 Royal Logistics Corps 5,800 
			 Royal Army Medical Corps 2,800 
			 Royal Electrical and Mechanical Engineers 2,230 
			 Adjutant Generals Corps (AGC) (Royal Military Police) 300 
			 AGC (Staff and Personnel Support) 920 
			 AGC (Education and Training Support) 20 
			 AGC (Army Legal Service) 10 
			 Royal Army Veterinary Corps 10 
			 Small Arms School Corps (30)— 
			 Royal Army Dentistry Corps 60 
			 Intelligence Corps 480 
			 Army Physical Training Corps (30)— 
			 General List 350 
			 Queen Alexandra's Royal Auxiliary Nursing Corps 1,150 
			 Officer Training Corps 4,090 
			 Unallocated 130 
			 Total 35,560 
		
	
	(30) Zero or rounded to zero.
	Notes:
	1. Where rounding has been used, totals and sub-totals have been rounded separately and so may not appear to be the sum of their parts.
	2. When rounding to the nearest 10, numbers ending in 5" have been rounded to the nearest multiple of 20 to prevent systematic bias.

Type 23 Frigates

Ann Winterton: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what (a) repairs, (b) structural alteration and (c) stability tests are required for the three Type 23 frigates being sold to Chile.

Adam Ingram: During the reactivation of the frigates, repairs will be undertaken to ensure that the platform, systems and equipment are functional, safe and certified as necessary to comply with maritime regulations. This will include re-confirmation of ship stability. There will be no structural alterations, unless at a later date Chile propose and fund structural alterations to meet their particular requirements.

CONSTITUTIONAL AFFAIRS

Gravesend County Court

Adam Holloway: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Constitutional Affairs what the financial position of the Gravesend County Court was in financial year 2004–05; and what the position is to date in 2005–06.

Harriet Harman: The local operating costs for Gravesend County Court for 2004–05 were £60,308.00. To date the operating costs for 2005–06 amount to £32,791.85 which represents 49 per cent. of the budget, reflecting an increase in staff pay and increases in some of the service budgets. District Judge fees are excluded from this figure as they have been reported through a combined county budget in 2004–05.
	In 2004–05 £25,151.15 was spent on accommodation related matters. For the first half of 2005–06 £6,167.64 has been spent. Capital and further maintenance projects for the 2005–06 period have not been allocated pending the outcome of the consultation.
	The fee income for 2004–05 was £240,377 and to date for 2005–06 is £143,587.41. There has been no significant increase in fees for this year. Projected maintenance costs including required Disability Discrimination Act works are estimated at £300,000.

National Legal Services

Greg Knight: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Constitutional Affairs what representations she has received about (a) National Legal Services and (b) their activities in the last two years.

Bridget Prentice: I am not aware of any representations having been received by this Department in connection with National Legal Services or their activities in the last two years.

Party Election Broadcasts

Oliver Heald: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Constitutional Affairs how many candidates political parties must nominate in a UK parliamentary election in (a) England, (b) Scotland, (c) Northern Ireland and (d) Wales to be eligible for a party election broadcast.

James Purnell: I have been asked to reply.
	Decisions on the allocation of party election broadcasts are a matter for the relevant broadcasters, acting in accordance with the rules established by Ofcom, the BBC and the Welsh Authority having regard to any views expressed by the Electoral Commission.

WORK AND PENSIONS

Child Support Agency

David Laws: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions 
	(1)  what bonuses have been paid to senior civil servants at the Child Support Agency in each of the last four years;
	(2)  how much was paid to senior civil servants in the Child Support Agency in bonus payments related to performance in each of the last four years.

James Plaskitt: The administration of the Child Support Agency is a matter for the chief executive. He will write to the hon. Member with the information requested.
	Letter from Stephen Geraghty to Mr. David Laws, dated 1 November 2005
	You asked the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, how much was paid to senior civil servants in the Child Support Agency in bonus payments related to performance in each of the last four years.
	You also asked how much was paid to senior civil servants in the Child Support Agency in bonus payments related to performance in each of the last four years.
	The table below contains the number and total of bonus payments awarded to senior civil servants in the Child Support Agency over the past 4 years. All of these payments relate to performance.
	
		
			  Number of bonuses awarded Total performance related bonus payments (£) Total special bonus payments (£) Total SCS paybill at 31 March (£) 
		
		
			 2001–02 4 13,192 n/a 436,061 
			 2002–03 7 47,000 n/a 816,636 
			 2003–04 7 38,120 n/a 851,885 
			 2004–05 10 33,050 5,500 791,020 
		
	
	I hope you find this response helpful.

Child Support Agency

William McCrea: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how much was paid to senior civil servants in the Child Support Agency in bonus payments related to performance in each of the last three years.

James Plaskitt: The administration of the Child Support Agency is a matter for the Chief Executive. He will write to the hon. Member with the information requested.
	Letter from Stephen Geraghty to Dr. McCrea, dated 1 November 2005
	In reply to your recent Parliamentary Question about the Child Support Agency the Secretary of State promised a substantive reply from the Chief Executive.
	You asked the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what bonuses have been paid to senior civil servants in the Child Support Agency in bonus payments related to performance in each of the last three years.
	The table below contains the number and total of bonus payments awarded to senior civil servants in the Child Support Agency over the past 3 years. All of these payments relate to performance.
	
		
			  Number of bonuses awarded Total performance related bonus payments (£) Total special bonus payments (£) Total SCS paybill at 31 March (£) 
		
		
			 2002–03 7 47,000 n/a 816,636 
			 2003–04 7 38,120 n/a 851,885 
			 2004–05 10 33,050 5,500 791,020 
		
	
	I hope you find this response helpful.

Citizens Advice Bureaux

David Laws: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many claims for (a) pension credit and (b) attendance allowance have been processed by citizens advice bureaux staff; and how much has been paid to the citizens advice bureaux for (i) the use of their offices and (ii) the work of their staff in processing claims for his Department.

Stephen Timms: DWP recognises the important role the citizens advice bureaux play in helping people with benefit claims. The alternative office has been developed to allow a member of a voluntary organisation who is accredited, to collect information and verify claims. Training is provided by the Pension Service to support these organisations to carry out these tasks.
	The number of pension credit and attendance allowance applications that are verified specifically by citizens advice bureaux staff is not recorded.
	There are currently two joint teams operating that include citizens advice bureaux partners. Under the joint team agreement each of the parties is responsible for funding all costs incurred by them in respect of the provision of the services, the premises and the information technology and systems. The Department therefore does not provide funding to the citizens advice bureaux for this purpose.
	The pension service also provides local service information points within 30 citizens advice bureaux offices around the country, working together for the mutual benefit of the customer. These arrangements are with the agreement of the local office and no funding is provided for the use of accommodation.

Cold Weather Payments

David Laws: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many cold weather payments have been made in each year since 1995–96; what the cost of such payments was in each year; and if he will make a statement.

Stephen Timms: A cold weather payment of £8.50 is made when the average temperature has been recorded as, or is forecast to be, 0oC or below over seven consecutive days at the weather station linked to the eligible customer's postcode. Eligible customers are those awarded pension credit, income support or income-based jobseeker's allowance who have a pensioner or disability premium, or a child who is disabled or aged under five, when the temperature criterion is met for their postcode.
	The numbers and costs of cold weather payments made in Great Britain in each year since 1995–96 are given in the following table.
	
		
			  Number (000) Cost (£ million) 
		
		
			 1995–96 7,252 61.6 
			 1996–97 4,964 42.2 
			 1997–98 55 0.5 
			 1998–99 26 0.2 
			 1999–2000 114 1.0 
			 2000–01 3,535 30.0 
			 2001–02 1,804 15.3 
			 2002–03 1,675 14.2 
			 2003–04 418 3.5 
			 2004–05 213 1.8 
		
	
	Source:
	Secretary of State's annual reports on the Social Fund

Housing Benefit

Andrew Love: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what percentage of housing benefit claimants in deregulated tenancies renting from private landlords faced housing benefit shortfalls as a result of (a) rent officer determined restrictions and (b) rent officer determined single room rent restrictions in the last period for which figures are available; what the average value of the shortfall was for (i) housing benefit claimants with a shortfall and (ii) housing benefit claimants with a single room rent shortfall; and if he will make a statement.

James Plaskitt: The available information is in the tables.
	
		The proportion of housing benefit claimants in deregulated tenancies renting from private landlords who face housing benefit shortfalls as a result of rent officer determined restrictions: England
		
			  Percentage 
		
		
			 All housing benefit claimants with a shortfall as a result  of rent officer determined restrictions 55 
			 All housing benefit claimants with a shortfall as a result  of rent officer determined single room rent restrictions 5 
		
	
	Source:
	Rent Officer Data 2003–04 (England only)
	
		The average shortfall for housing benefit private-sector de-regulated caseload: England
		
			  £ 
		
		
			 All housing benefit claimants with a shortfall 23 
			 Housing benefit claimants receiving the single room rent  with a shortfall 44 
		
	
	Notes:
	1. A shortfall is defined as the difference between the contractual rent and the maximum amount of housing benefit a claimant could receive. This does not take into account non-dependant deductions or any income over the applicable amount.
	2. Average amounts are rounded to the nearest pound.
	Source:
	Rent Officer Data 2003–04 (England only)

Miss Helen Thomas

Si�n James: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions if he has completed his consideration of correspondence of 8 June from the hon. Member for Swansea, East concerning the case of Miss Helen Thomas.

Anne McGuire: A reply has been sent to the hon. Member today. I regret that the correspondence was not handled correctly and that a reply was not sent sooner.

Pensions

Maria Miller: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what assessment he has made of the impact the changes in pension rules relating to the purchase of commercial property will have on businesses.

Ivan Lewis: I have been asked to reply.
	The regulatory impact assessment (RIA) Simplifying the Taxation of Pensions published in April 2004 sets out an assessment of the potential impact of the whole pensions simplification package.

HOME DEPARTMENT

Alcohol Harm Reduction Strategy

Lynne Featherstone: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what assessment he has made of the impact of the Alcohol Harm Reduction Strategy; and if he will make a statement.

Hazel Blears: The Home Office and Department of Health are responsible for the Alcohol Harm Reduction Programme, which has led the Government response to the strategy.
	The programme has made good progress in introducing measures in the Violent Crime Reduction Bill to tackle alcohol-related crime and disorder; implementing the Tackling Violent Crime Programme and Alcohol Misuse Enforcement Campaigns in partnership with the police and other stakeholders and working with the alcohol industry to develop a principles and standards document and National Producers Fund, both of which are due to be launched shortly.
	The Department of Health has recently completed an audit of services available for alcohol treatment and is shortly due to start demonstration projects targeting screening and brief interventions for hazardous drinkers.

Antisocial Behaviour Orders

David Davis: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what proportion of antisocial behaviour orders have been breached, broken down by those imposed on (a) juveniles and (b) adults.

Hazel Blears: Data on convictions for breach of an antisocial behaviour order (ASBO) are currently available from 1 June 2000 to 31 December 2003. Of the 1,892 ASBOs issued during this period, as reported to the Home Office, 42 per cent. of persons (793) breached their ASBO on one or more occasions. Of these, 49 per cent. were juveniles (392) and 51 per cent. were adults (401).

Antisocial Behaviour Orders

Michael Penning: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many antisocial behaviour orders have been issued in the constituency of Hemel Hempstead since 1997.

Hazel Blears: Antisocial behaviour orders (ASBOs) have been available to the courts since 1 April 1999. From commencement up to 31 May 2000 data were collected, on aggregate numbers only, by police force area. From copies of the orders received, since 1 June 2000, we are able to determine the local government authority areas in which restrictions are imposed.
	The number of ASBOs issued, as notified to the Home Office, in the local government authority area of Dacorum borough council, in which the Hemel Hempstead constituency is situated, from 1 June 2000 to 31 December 2004 (latest available) is seven.

Armed Police

Andrew Rosindell: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what proportion of police officers have been armed in each year since 1992.

Hazel Blears: It is not possible to provide accurate figures in the form requested. However, the number of authorised firearms officers (AFOs) in police forces in England and Wales for years 19942004 are shown in the table.
	
		Authorised firearms officers (AFOs) in police forces in England and Wales for years 19942004
		
			  Number 
		
		
			 199495 6,837 
			 199596 6,554 
			 199697 6,738 
			 199798 6,585 
			 199899 6,308 
			 19992000 6,262 
			 200001 6,064 
			 200102 5,776 
			 200203 5,763 
			 200304 6,096

Atos Origin

Mark Fisher: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he will publish the minutes of the meetings between his officials and Atos Origin.

Charles Clarke: Meetings between Home Department officials and Atos Origin are based on an IT contract awarded in August 2004 which commenced on 1 November 2004. The engagement between IND and Atos Origin results in significant quantities of recorded minutes, covering all aspects of the working relationship. Consideration could be given to making minutes of meetings or action plans available to address a specific query, subject to commercial considerations and disproportionate cost.

Consultants

Austin Mitchell: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department which consultants have been employed by his Department in each of the last three years.

Charles Clarke: The Department does not hold central records of all the consultancy companies that have been employed in each of the last three years. This information could be obtained only at disproportionate cost.
	The Home Office is currently addressing this problem with the implementation of an Oracle Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP) system, Adelphi, in the core Home Office and in the Prison Service, Phoenix, which will provide accurate management information on the Department's use of consultants.

Crime

Mark Williams: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he will make a statement on the progress of the Partners against Crime partnership between the Post Office and Dyfed-Powys police constabulary.

Hazel Blears: holding answer 6 July 2005
	I understand that this six-month trial initiative, which was set up in partnership by Dyfed-Powys police and the Post Office Ltd., has yet to be formally evaluated. A local evaluation will take place in October at the end of the pilot scheme. I am pleased to say that early feedback is positive, and suggests that public reassurance has improved as a result of the initiative.

Crime

Nick Gibb: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what assessment he has made of the level of violent crime in Sussex in each of the last five years.

Hazel Blears: The number of recorded offences of violent crime in Sussex is given in the tables. It is estimated that the effect of the introduction nationally of the National Crime Recording Standard (NCRS) in April 2002 was a 20 per cent. increase in recorded violent crime in its first year.
	
		Table 1: Offences of violent crime recorded in Sussex, 200001 and 200102
		
			  Number of offences 
		
		
			 200001 19,505 
			 200102 19,879 
		
	
	Note:
	The data in this table is prior to the introduction of the National Crime Recording Standard. These figures are not directly comparable with those for later years.
	
		Table 2: Offences of violent crime recorded in Sussex, 200203 to 200405
		
			  Number of offences 
		
		
			 200203 20,590 
			 200304 22,126 
			 200405 30,122 
		
	
	Note:
	The data in this table takes account of the introduction of the National Crime Recording Standard in April 2002. These figures are not directly comparable with those for earlier years.

Criminal Cases Review Commission

Claire Curtis-Thomas: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department whether minimisation of case accumulation is a priority for the Criminal Cases Review Commission in 200506.

Fiona Mactaggart: The number of applications received by the Criminal Case Review Commission (CCRC) has increased. Interim steps have been taken urgently to expedite case review and so try to reduce the backlog. Moreover a high-level review of case working processes and policies to identify areas of improvement is currently under way.

Criminal Cases Review Commission

Claire Curtis-Thomas: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he will make a statement on the backlog of cases at the Criminal Cases Review Commission in 200405.

Fiona Mactaggart: There has been a general upward trend in the applications received by the Criminal Cases Review Commission (CCRC) and the case in-take in 200405 at 955 was the highest for six years.
	The CCRC recognises the distress that is caused to applicants and has identified the need to undergo a programme of change to address backlogs and reduce waiting times. To this end they have embarked on a comprehensive review of their casework processes and policies which it is hoped will result in long term efficiency gains and a gradual reduction in the backlog and waiting times over the next three years.

Criminal Cases Review Commission

Claire Curtis-Thomas: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what steps are being taken to minimise case accumulation at the Criminal Cases Review Commission.

Fiona Mactaggart: The commission is making strenuous efforts to minimise case accumulation. Urgent steps are being taken to expedite review in the more complex cases. Furthermore, a high-level review of case working processes and policies has been implemented to identify possible changes which will permit speedier completion of reviews without compromising thoroughness or quality.

Criminal Injuries Compensation

Claire Curtis-Thomas: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many claims have been received by the Criminal Injuries Compensation Scheme from applicants alleging (a) sexual and (b) physical abuse in care homes and residential schools since 1992; how many such claims have been (i) settled and (ii) refused; how many are ongoing; how much compensation has been paid; and in how many claims compensation has been reduced.

Fiona Mactaggart: The available information has been provided by the Criminal Injuries Compensation Authority (CICA). It relates to applications made following the introduction of the tariff-based compensation scheme on 1 April 1996. Figures for earlier years are not readily available.
	
		Claims to CICA for sexual and physical abuse in care homes and residential schools since 1996
		
			   Cases resolved 
			 Nature of claim Applications received No award Full award Reduced award Suspended Amount paid () Cases outstanding 
		
		
			 Physical abuse of children 2 1 1   2,000  
			 Sexual assault (institutional adult) 19 10 3  1 14,800 5 
			 Sexual assault (institutional child) 38 10 22 2 1 57,000 3 
			 Totals 59 21 26 2 2 73,800 8

Criminal Justice and Public Order Act

David Jones: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department on how many occasions the procedure provided for by section 62A of the Criminal Justice and Public Order Act 1994 has been implemented in each of the years for which figures are available.

Hazel Blears: This information is not collected centrally.

Date Rape

Ashok Kumar: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many reports of date rape have been recorded in (a) England and Wales, (b) the Tees Valley and (c) Middlesbrough, South and East Cleveland in each of the last five years.

Paul Goggins: The information requested is not collected centrally.

Fixed Penalty Notices

Paul Rowen: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many fixed penalty notices for parking violations have been issued in each local authority since 1997.

Paul Goggins: holding answer 31 October 2005
	Available information on fixed penalty notices is by police force area and is given in the table. The information relates to all offences of obstruction, waiting and parking in England and Wales during the calendar years 1997 to 2003 (latest available).
	Information for 2004 will be available early in 2006. Under the Road Traffic Act 1991, Decriminalised Parking Enforcement (DPE) powers allow local authorities to take over responsibility for enforcing parking contraventions from police. Data on penalty charge notices (PCNs) from individual local authorities operating Decriminalised Parking Enforcement were first published in the Home Office publication 'Offences relating to motor vehicles, England and Wales 2002 Supplementary tables'. The latest publication 2003 [Table 22(a)22(b) refers] lists data by local authorities partaking in the scheme, a copy of which is available in the Library. This publication can also be accessed on the Home Office Research Development and Statistics (RDS) website at: www.homeoffice.gov.uk/rds/index.htm
	
		Fixed penalty data by police force area for obstruction, waiting and parking offences(31)(5508270032) England and Wales 19972003 -- Number of offences
		
			  1997 1998 
			  Endorsable Non-endorsable Endorsable Non-endorsable 
			 Police force area Number of tickets Number of tickets Number of tickets Number of tickets 
		
		
			 Avon and Somerset 7 58,107 4 52,916 
			 Bedfordshire  35,469  34,592 
			 Cambridgeshire 2 32,499 1 28,779 
			 Cheshire 3 32,257 4 30,182 
			 Cleveland  21,700 2 22,864 
			 Cumbria 2 20,800 2 23,162 
			 Derbyshire 3 23,870 1 25,998 
			 Devon and Cornwall 4 80,531 2 84,877 
			 Dorset  40,725  32,790 
			 Durham 1 15,040 2 15,912 
			 Essex 10 59,748 9 58,919 
			 Gloucestershire 1 33,417  31,067 
			 Greater Manchester 7 166,242 9 141,889 
			 Hampshire 5 70,475 7 66,249 
			 Hertfordshire 2 52,954 3 31,219 
			 Humberside 3 29,027 3 25,990 
			 Kent 11 65,033 5 58,707 
			 Lancashire 19 94,864 8 82,837 
			 Leicestershire 5 53,338 2 49,078 
			 Lincolnshire  29,067 9 26,641 
			 London, City of  666  1,109 
			 Merseyside 6 98,229 4 97,518 
			 Met Police 90 160,761 98 205,779 
			 Norfolk  36,350 1 30,754 
			 Northamptonshire  29,576  27,854 
			 Northumbria 7 47,592 3 45,653 
			 North Yorkshire 5 22,127 7 19,970 
			 Nottinghamshire 2 42,021 2 37,004 
			 South Yorkshire 4 28,256 7 30,847 
			 Staffordshire 11 26,445 9 27,459 
			 Suffolk 6 23,037 5 21,753 
			 Surrey 6 25,614 7 25,400 
			 Sussex 13 120,244 7 111,859 
			 Thames Valley 6 77,971 6 76,943 
			 Warwickshire 1 15,550 2 18,020 
			 West Mercia 4 26,221 4 26,138 
			 West Midlands 23 156,251 26 148,944 
			 West Yorkshire 10 69,608 7 63,556 
			 Wiltshire 5 16,025 2 15,452 
			 Dyfed-Powys 4 14,456 4 14,172 
			 Gwent 10 20,874 2 22,114 
			 North Wales 2 21,750 9 19,172 
			 South Wales 4 104,151 4 105,650 
			  
			 England and Wales 304 2,198,938 289 2,117,788 
		
	
	
		Number of offences
		
			  1999 2000 
			  Endorsable Non-endorsable Endorsable Non-endorsable 
			 Police force area Number of tickets Number of tickets Number of tickets Number of tickets 
		
		
			 Avon and Somerset 7 49,519 1 34,551 
			 Bedfordshire  5,175 2 3,485 
			 Cambridgeshire  30,387 1 32,675 
			 Cheshire 3 25,922 3 19,248 
			 Cleveland 1 18,633  15,487 
			 Cumbria 2 12,952 3 5,857 
			 Derbyshire  22,926  22,259 
			 Devon and Cornwall 5 77,906 3 77,874 
			 Dorset  32,708 3 31,256 
			 Durham  12,140 2 16,082 
			 Essex 5 49,230 6 40,656 
			 Gloucestershire 1 28,467 1 28,527 
			 Greater Manchester 5 78,844 3 71,056 
			 Hampshire 8 50,937 5 31,622 
			 Hertfordshire 2 36,064 3 32,574 
			 Humberside 2 23,910 4 26,594 
			 Kent 5 48,753 12 3,673 
			 Lancashire 15 71,449 6 64,929 
			 Leicestershire 3 45,722 3 37,987 
			 Lincolnshire 2 15,486 2 15,893 
			 London, City of 3 725  438 
			 Merseyside 12 86,912 3 61,246 
			 Met Police 41 192,069 27 196,965 
			 Norfolk 1 26,388 2 25,337 
			 Northamptonshire 2 21,272  12,874 
			 Northumbria 8 39,865 9 44,687 
			 North Yorkshire 2 20,437 2 13,529 
			 Nottinghamshire  34,871 2 31,525 
			 South Yorkshire 11 26,694 8 28,940 
			 Staffordshire 4 21,256 5 11,936 
			 Suffolk 1 20,574 2 20,837 
			 Surrey 6 20,544 4 21,431 
			 Sussex 5 101,971 6 119,765 
			 Thames Valley 3 66,454 4 51,917 
			 Warwickshire  16,749 1 13,801 
			 West Mercia 2 26,688 1 22,736 
			 West Midlands 23 119,867 17 88,137 
			 West Yorkshire 5 60,337 1 61,143 
			 Wiltshire 1 12,896 1 10,210 
			 Dyfed-Powys 6 18,026 2 17,481 
			 Gwent . 20,668 3 19,587 
			 North Wales 3 16,470 36 16,044 
			 South Wales 10 96,564 4 92,306 
			  
			 England and Wales 215 1,805,427 203 1,595,157 
		
	
	
		Number of offences
		
			  2001 2002 
			  Endorsable Non-endorsable Endorsable Non-endorsable 
			 Police force area Number of tickets Number of tickets Number of tickets Number of tickets 
		
		
			 Avon and Somerset 4 25,827 1 22,481 
			 Bedfordshire  2,991  3,602 
			 Cambridgeshire 1 33,286  32,237 
			 Cheshire  17,532 1 15,776 
			 Cleveland 1 10,634 2 15,721 
			 Cumbria  5,758 3 2,384 
			 Derbyshire  18,792 2 16,409 
			 Devon and Cornwall 3 59,407 4 59,631 
			 Dorset  25,500  8,034 
			 Durham 1 12,521 1 12,499 
			 Essex 1 29,772 1 23,534 
			 Gloucestershire  26,500  26,411 
			 Greater Manchester 2 43,381 3 34,820 
			 Hampshire 9 40,015 4 22,695 
			 Hertfordshire 3 32,709  27,054 
			 Humberside 3 25,701 2 26,504 
			 Kent 10 1,702 4 1,086 
			 Lancashire 6 55,992 4 47,729 
			 Leicestershire 3 39,885 3 41,651 
			 Lincolnshire  15,725  16,659 
			 London, City of 2 511  741 
			 Merseyside 4 49,967 3 35,989 
			 Met Police 21 141,776 18 141,950 
			 Norfolk  23,880 3 10,135 
			 Northamptonshire  7,988  4,457 
			 Northumbria 24 57,780 15 48,670 
			 North Yorkshire  14,435 1 9,435 
			 Nottinghamshire  24,515  13,387 
			 South Yorkshire 6 30,360 6 29,356 
			 Staffordshire 7 9,154 1 7,275 
			 Suffolk  18,953 1 20,439 
			 Surrey 1 22,961 4 25,040 
			 Sussex 5 71,966 1 47,515 
			 Thames Valley 5 37,409 6 34,605 
			 Warwickshire  15,355  16,556 
			 West Mercia 4 17,104 2 17,382 
			 West Midlands 18 64,030 10 46,436 
			 West Yorkshire 3 55,300 5 55,977 
			 Wiltshire 1 7,450  8,395 
			 Dyfed-Powys 3 13,860 7 17,074 
			 Gwent  17,765  19,041 
			 North Wales 19 13,108 3 10,581 
			 South Wales 6 85,616 4 87,528 
			  
			 England and Wales 176 1,324,873 125 1,164,881 
		
	
	
		Number of offences
		
			  2003 
			  Endorsable Non-endorsable 
			 Police force area Number of tickets Number of tickets 
		
		
			 Avon and Somerset 14 17,638 
			 Bedfordshire  2,235 
			 Cambridgeshire 1 22,459 
			 Cheshire 1 15,938 
			 Cleveland  8,522 
			 Cumbria 2 1,814 
			 Derbyshire 2 15,779 
			 Devon and Cornwall 2 57,699 
			 Dorset  635 
			 Durham  5,668 
			 Essex 4 9,953 
			 Gloucestershire 1 27,703 
			 Greater Manchester  27.964 
			 Hampshire 8 18,384 
			 Hertfordshire 1 9,216 
			 Humberside 1 25,503 
			 Kent 6 979 
			 Lancashire 8 31,771 
			 Leicestershire 1 31,023 
			 Lincolnshire  18,563 
			 London, City of 3 67a 
			 Merseyside 2 17,600 
			 Met Police 26 209,195 
			 Norfolk  9,532 
			 Northamptonshire  3,701 
			 Northumbria 21 30,418 
			 North Yorkshire  5,670 
			 Nottinghamshire 1 6,634 
			 South Yorkshire 7 27,549 
			 Staffordshire 1 8,410 
			 Suffolk 14 20,183 
			 Surrey 5 16,125 
			 Sussex 2 46,181 
			 Thames Valley 4 24,781 
			 Warwickshire  14,041 
			 West Mercia 3 12,451 
			 West Midlands 15 53,118 
			 West Yorkshire 2 54,176 
			 Wiltshire  5,618 
			 Dyfed-Powys 3 13,777 
			 Gwent 1 19,713 
			 North Wales 1 12,271 
			 South Wales 7 81,568 
			
			 England and Wales 170 1,042,836 
		
	
	(31) Offences under the Road Traffic Act 1988 s.22; Transport Act 2000 as 173(5); 173(6); 173(7); 174(3); 175(2); 175(3); 175(4); 190 Highway Act 1835 ss. 72 and 78; RTA 1988 ss. 19 and 21; Highways Act 1980 s. 133(1); Road Traffic Regulations Act 1984 ss. 5(1), 8, 3236 and 4553; Road Vehicles (Construction and Use) Regulations 1986 Regs. 101 and 103; Transport Act 2000 Part III; Metropolitan Police Act 1839 s. 54 (1)
	(32) Does not include Decriminalised Parking Enforcements (DPE).

Historical Sex Abuse Cases

Claire Curtis-Thomas: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how contamination of evidence is avoided by the police in historical sex abuse cases; and if he will make a statement.

Paul Goggins: All investigations into historic child abuse by the police are bound by a combination of common law, legislation and Codes of Practice. The key pieces of legislation regulating this area are the Police and Criminal Evidence Act (PACE) 1984 and the Criminal Procedure and Investigations Act 1996 (as amended by the Criminal Justice Act 2003), which both have associated Codes of Practice. Failure to comply with the Codes could result in improperly gathered evidence being ruled inadmissible by the courts as well as disciplinary action being taken against the police officers involved.

Historical Sex Abuse Cases

Claire Curtis-Thomas: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what steps he takes to ensure that the agencies involved in historical sex abuse investigations provide sufficient training to their staff.

Hazel Blears: The Association of Chief Police Officer's (ACPO) Rape Working Group is currently commissioning the National Centre for Policing Excellence (a business unit of Centrex), to develop a national police training and development programme.
	ACPO has also commissioned Centrex and NCPE to produce a national Investigating Child Abuse and Safeguarding Children (Learning and Development) Programme. The specialist child abuse investigator element of this programme will be launched in December 2005.
	The investigation of historic/institutional child abuse guidanceThe Senior Investigating Officer's Handbookis guidance produced by ACPO, after consultation with the Crown Prosecution Service and the Department of Health. The Government have also produced guidance, Complex Child Abuse Investigations: Inter-Agency Issues, which can be found on the Home Office website.

Homicides

David Taylor: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what action he has taken to reduce homicides committed by people other than those who suffer from mental ill health.

Hazel Blears: holding answer 18 October 2005
	The Government deplore all violent crime and are undertaking an extensive programme of action to tackle it; this has the effect of preventing homicides since in many cases homicide results from the escalation of other kinds of violent crime.
	The Government recently introduced the Violent Crime Reduction Bill which will introduce measures to tackle guns, knives and alcohol-related crime, all of which, again, will contribute to the prevention of homicide. The Bill contains measures which will tackle gun crime (such as introducing tougher manufacturing standards to ensure that imitation firearms cannot be converted to fire live ammunition), knife crime and binge drinking which can lead to very serious violent crime which may culminate in homicide.
	There are record numbers of police officers to enforce the lawaround 140,000and 6,300 community support officers (CSOs) on our streets. The Government's approach has helped drive up detection rates for these crimes. Detection rates are high (98 per cent. for homicide in 200405) and the Association of Chief Police Officers (ACPO) are continuing work to improve investigative methods and to spread good practice to ensure that offenders are detected, brought to justice and prevented from re-offending.

Licensing Act

Anne Main: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many senior police officers expressed serious concerns to the Government about the Licensing Act 2003 when the consultation on the legislation was taking place.

James Purnell: I have been asked to reply.
	Nine representations were received from police bodies in response to the White Paper on licensing reform; these were placed in the Library of the House. Through the Association of Chief Police Officers (ACPO), the police were closely involved in formulating the 2003 Act; for example, ACPO has been part of the Advisory Group that met to discuss the Act regularly before and during the parliamentary stages of the Bill and since Royal Assent.

London Events (Criminal Offences)

Andrew Rosindell: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many criminal offences occurred during the 2005 (a) Notting Hill Carnival, (b) Lord Mayor's Show and (c) Romford Carnival.

Paul Goggins: The information requested is not available from the Home Office recorded crime statistics.

Metropolitan Police

Andrew MacKinlay: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what discussions he had with the Commissioner of the Metropolitan Police prior to his statement that command of the British Transport Police would transfer to the Metropolitan Police in the run-up to the Olympics; and for what reasons this information has not previously been communicated to Parliament.

Hazel Blears: holding answer 28 October 2005
	My right hon. friend the Home Secretary and the Metropolitan Police commissioner discussed the issue of police force structures at a recent bilateral meeting.
	Responsibility for the British Transport Police falls to the Secretary of State for Transport rather than the Home Department. The Secretary of State for Transport announced to Parliament on 11 October that he would be reviewing the role of the British Transport Police. The review will:
	examine the functions of the British Transport Police and whether some or all of these are best carried out by a national force, regional forces or, indeed, by the industry itself.
	The terms of reference of the review are available in the House Library. Any decisions on the future of the British Transport Police would need to await the outcome of the review.

Multi-agency Public Protection

Elfyn Llwyd: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many cases covered by the multi agency public protection arrangements on 31 March of each year between 2001 and 2005 fell into the (a) very high and (b) high risk category.

Fiona Mactaggart: The data are not available in the form requested. The latest data (covering 1 April 2004 to 31 March 2005) on cases managed under the multi-agency public protection arrangements (MAPPA) in each of the 42 police and probation areas in England and Wales were published on 17 October and copies have been placed in the Library of the House. The data in the reports reflect the management level required to manage the offender rather than the risk of harm presented.
	Offenders may be managed within MAPPA at one of three levels which do not directly correspond to the level of risk of harm presented. Although risk is a key criterion, the management level is also determined by the complexity of the management plan required. The highest level of management is level 3. This year, for the first time, data relating to each of the three levels of management has been published and the following table has been compiled from each of the 42 area reports:
	
		Number of MAPPA offenders 200405 by level of management required
		
			 Level of management Number of offenders 
		
		
			 Level 3 1,478 
			 Level 2 11,288 
			 Level 1 31,826 
			 Total 44,592

Multi-agency Public Protection

Elfyn Llwyd: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what the principal offences committed by those persons covered by the multi-agency public protection arrangements are.

Fiona Mactaggart: The type of offence committed by each offender is not recorded centrally. The multi-agency public protection arrangements (MAPPA) are aimed at relevant sexual or violent offenders and other persons, who, by reason of offences committed by them (wherever committed), are considered to be persons who may cause serious harm to the public. The term relevant sexual or violent offender is defined in section 327 of the Criminal Justice Act 2003 and includes all serious sexual and violent offenders.

National Alcohol Strategy

Phyllis Starkey: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what advice his Department has given to key agencies on local delivery of the National Alcohol Strategy.

Hazel Blears: The Home Office has focused on the reduction of alcohol-related crime and disorder by working closely with other key Government Departments. Much of the strategy has been focused on implementation at a local level. We have worked with the police on the Tackling Violent Crime Programme (TVCP) and two national Alcohol Misuse Enforcement Campaigns (AMEC).
	These programmes targeted enforcement activity and partnership working in particular regions. We are also working closely with ODPM and their How to programme which is relevant to the development of the night-time economy, as part of the delivery of the cleaner, safer, greener communities initiative. We lead the Alcohol Harm Reduction Programme jointly with the Department of Health, which has completed a national audit of available alcohol services and is developing a programme of improvements that will be implemented at a local level through primary care trusts.

National Mobile Phone Register

Lynne Featherstone: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department 
	(1)  how the National Mobile Phone Register is being advertised; and if he will make a statement;
	(2)  how many mobile telephones have been registered on the National Mobile Phone Register; and if he will make a statement.

Hazel Blears: The National Mobile Phone Register was launched in January 2005. At the time of the official launch there were already around 12 million items on the register.
	By July 2005 there were 13,589,970 items on the register. (Items are regularly weeded out onto an archived database which consists of an additional million items.) It is estimated that, on average, 61,000 items are registered per week. At this stage around 20 per cent. of all handsets in the UK are registered. The National Mobile Phone Register is a product of our ongoing partnership work with the police and the mobile phone industry to tackle mobile phone theft. It is a valuable law enforcement tool, functioning as a key source of information for investigating allegations of mobile phone related crime. Members of the public can play their part and register their phonesfor freeon www.immobilise.com. By registering they can protect their phones, increase their chances of getting them back if they are lost or stolen and help the police tackle mobile phone theft.
	In terms of advertising the register, we are supporting the mobile phone industry and the police in their work to encourage registration through the Immobilise publicity campaign.

Notting Hill Carnival

Andrew Rosindell: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what estimate the Metropolitan police have made of how many people attended the 2005 Notting Hill Carnival.

Paul Goggins: The Metropolitan Police Service estimate that 250,000 people attended the Notting Hill Carnival on Sunday 28 August, and 500,000 on Monday 29 August.

People Trafficking

Evan Harris: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department whether West Midlands police have received specialised training in dealing with trafficking and trafficked women as specified in the Home Office toolkit.

Hazel Blears: The toolkit on trafficking of people provides generic information and practical advice to help front-line police, immigration officers and other professionals and agencies to identify promptly and accurately those who may be victims of trafficking and to deal with them appropriately. The toolkit is divided into easily accessible sections, not all of which will be relevant to all agencies, and is intended as an additional resource to support local operations. The type and level of training on human trafficking provided to police officers is a matter for individual police services.

Police

Adam Holloway: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how much time police officers in Gravesham spent (a) on paper work and (b) on the beat in the last period for which figures are available.

Hazel Blears: The information requested is not collected centrally by the Home Office. The Frontline Policing Measure for 200405 was published on 27 October 2005 and indicated that officers in Kent spent 67.6 per cent. of their time on front-line duties.

Police

Phil Willis: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what the total level of (a) revenue and (b) capital balances held at the end of the last financial year was for each police authority; and what percentage of gross income this represented for each police force.

Hazel Blears: Estimates of revenue reserves and provisions at the end of the financial year 200405 are set out in the table. Details of capital reserves could be obtained only at disproportionate cost.
	
		
			 Police authority Total estimated reserves/provisions at 31 March 2005 (000) Estimated gross revenue expenditure 200405(33)(000) Reserves/provisions as percentage of gross revenue expenditure 
		
		
			 Avon and Somerset 6,741 245,500 2.7 
			 Bedfordshire 13,151 91,958 14.3 
			 Cambridgeshire 9,083 116,444 7.8 
			 Cheshire 11,114 159,289 7.0 
			 City of London 1,340 81,704 1.6 
			 Cleveland 7,622 117,790 6.5 
			 Cumbria 7,076 94,090 7.5 
			 Derbyshire 22,141 154,422 14.3 
			 Devon and Cornwall 21,464 252,428 8.5 
			 Dorset 16,712 109,992 15.2 
			 Durham 12,034 115,586 10.4 
			 Dyfed-Powys 10,636 84,477 12.6 
			 Essex 32,844 252,838 13.0 
			 Gloucestershire 3,669 97,873 3.7 
			 Greater Manchester 39,850 532,778 7.5 
			 Gwent 24,742 105,213 23.5 
			 Hampshire 20,677 281,104 7.4 
			 Hertfordshire 13,197 164,946 8.0 
			 Humberside 17,975 168,518 10.7 
			 Kent 22,818 281,424 8.1 
			 Lancashire 21,549 251,052 8.6 
			 Leicestershire 8,151 153,821 5.3 
			 Lincolnshire 7,336 95,626 7.7 
			 Merseyside 21,906 327,552 6.7 
			 Metropolitan 186,275 2,800,978 6.7 
			 Norfolk 11,411 139,793 8.2 
			 Northamptonshire 11,489 108,998 10.5 
			 Northumbria 80,947 282,290 28.7 
			 North Wales 7,987 123,126 6.5 
			 North Yorkshire 24,381 129,503 18.8 
			 Nottinghamshire 18,170 172,974 10.5 
			 South Wales 20,861 239,097 8.7 
			 South Yorkshire 28,764 234,252 12.3 
			 Staffordshire 9,646 173,691 5.6 
			 Suffolk 10,758 105,524 10.2 
			 Surrey 14,203 172,058 8.3 
			 Sussex 26,057 257,669 10.1 
			 Thames Valley 25,155 343,246 7.3 
			 Warwickshire n/a 81,984 n/a 
			 West Mercia 11,451 182,128 6.3 
			 West Midlands 57,630 506,240 11.4 
			 West Yorkshire 26,735 407,692 6.6 
			 Wiltshire 7,133 96,617 7.4 
		
	
	(33) Gross expenditure will be met partly from income (e.g. sales, fees, specific grants) and any use of balances and reserves. Revenue expenditure net of income is funded from Home Office Police Grant, RSG/NNDR and council tax precept.
	Source:
	Chartered Institute of Public Finance  Accountancy (CIPFA): Police Service StatisticsEstimates 200405.

Police

Bill Wiggin: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he will list awards for bravery for police officers the receipt of which his Department has approved.

Hazel Blears: Police officers who perform acts of bravery may be nominated for a Queen's Award for Gallantry. There are four levels of award as listed in the table.
	The George Cross is the highest level of recognition and is only awarded for acts of the greatest heroism in circumstances of extreme danger or conspicuous courage. The award is frequently awarded posthumously.
	The George Medal is granted for gallantry of an extremely high order, where the act was one of great bravery.
	The Queen's Gallantry Medal is awarded for gallantry of a high order, where the act was one of exemplary bravery.
	The Queen's Commendation for Bravery is granted for an act of gallantry not up to the standards described above, but which entails a risk to life and which deserved national recognition.

Police

Michael Penning: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what the manning level of police officers in Hertfordshire was in 200405; and what the manning level will be in 200607.

Hazel Blears: At the end of March 2005 Hertfordshire constabulary had 2,104 full-time equivalent police officers, an increase of 18 in 200405. Future staffing levels are a matter for the Hertfordshire police authority arid will be determined by the budget the authority sets for the force in future years.

Police

Richard Taylor: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what evidence he relied upon in making his decision on the creation of police forces with a minimum of 4,000 police officers in terms of (a) function and (b) financing.

Hazel Blears: The case for restructuring the police service in England and Wales to ensure that all forces have the capacity and resilience to deliver protective services to national standards was set out in HM inspectorate of constabulary's report 'Closing the Gap', published in September 2005. The report is available on HMIC's website at http://inspectorates.homeoffice. gov.uk/hmic/docs/docs/closinggap.pdf.

Prison Service

Henry Bellingham: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what resources the Prison Service has given for the detection and investigation of staff corruption in each of the last five years.

Fiona Mactaggart: Since February 2003 the public sector Prison Service has allocated specific resources to the detection, investigation, and prevention of staff corruption. Central records are not held detailing the exact, number of staff involved in this activity. However, each establishment is required to have a Local Professional Standards Manager who is supported at area level by an Area Professional Standards Manager.
	In addition, there is a central Professional Standards Unit at HQ comprising 10 members of staff. Prison Service managers are assigned to conduct investigations into individual allegations of staff corruption as required.

Private Finance Initiative

Lynne Featherstone: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what steps he is taking to ensure that private finance initiative projects for which his Department is responsible create the minimum of environmental damage.

Charles Clarke: Guidance for Departments on how to include environmental considerations within private finance initiative (PFI) and projects is set out in Green Public Private Partnerships (PPP), issued in 2002. This added to guidance on PFI projects issued by the Treasury and supports commitments being developed under the Framework for Sustainable Development on the Government Estate.
	A memorandum of understanding, signed by the Home Office Green Minister and the Director General of the Prison Service, requires all new prisons (including those constructed under PFI) to introduce a sustainable development policy and to be managed in an environmentally sound way.
	Building Research Establishment Environmental Assessment Method (BREEAM) certificates are obtained for major new buildings. The new Home Office in two Marsham street received the BREEAM excellent level certification of its design in June 2004. Excellent is the highest category certification. Operationally it is managed under an accredited environmental management system.

Private Finance Initiative

Lynne Featherstone: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what assessment his Department has made of the (a) sustainability and (b) environmental impacts of private finance initiative (PFI) projects within his Department; and what assessment has been made of the effectiveness of the PFI process in delivering environmentally sustainable projects.

Charles Clarke: In line with the Government's overarching commitment, Departments need to consider all aspects of sustainable development when entering into new PFI/PPP contracts. By taking a long-term view, PFI/PPPs require an assessment of whole life costs and can promote a more efficient use of resources.
	The Home Office is committed to targets set out in the Framework for Sustainable Development on the Government Estate. The biodiversity and energy sections of the Framework, published in August 2003 and February 2004 respectively require Departments to include clauses relating to sustainable development issues in relevant contracts, including PFIs. It is anticipated that future sections of the framework on waste, estates management and construction and procurement will cover similar provisions.
	The Framework was to be reviewed in 200405 and further consideration will be given to how best Departments can take account of sustainable development in future PFI contracts. The Department's officials are working closely with officials from OGC in order to ensure that the Framework is fully coordinated with OGC's Achieving Excellence construction procurement guidance, in particular with Achieving Excellence Guide 11: Sustainability, which is currently under development.

Private Finance Initiative

Lynne Featherstone: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what plans he has to make private finance initiative contracts for which his Department is responsible more accountable and transparent in terms of environmental sustainability.

Charles Clarke: In line with the Government's overarching commitment, Departments need to consider all aspects of sustainable development when entering into new PFI/PPP contracts. By taking a long term view, PFI/PPPs require an assessment of whole life costs and can promote a more efficient use of resources.
	From 1 April 2004 the Home Department, along with all other Government Departments, have been required to explicitly identify any significant environmental and social costs and benefits, as well as economic costs and benefits, when carrying out a Regulatory Impact Assessment (RIA). This will cover RIAs carried out on new PFI/PPP projects.

Railway Staff

John Hayes: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department pursuant to the answer to the hon. Member for Shrewsbury and Atcham (Daniel Kawczynski) of 19 October 2005, Official Report, column 1080W, on railway staff, if he will define the nature of detection rates, with particular reference to what is being detected.

Derek Twigg: I have been asked to reply.
	The Home Office Counting Rules manual for Recorded Crime defines a crime as detected if:
	1. A person has been charged or summonsed for the crime.
	2. The offender (adult) has been cautioned by the police or (if a juvenile) issued with a final warning or reprimand.
	3. The offender admits the crime and asks for it to be taken into consideration by the court.
	4. No further action has been taken by the police, which usually occurs if the offender is dead or severely ill or when an essential witness or victim is permanently ill.
	The detection rate is calculated by dividing the number of detected crimes by the number of recorded crimes and multiplying by 100 to obtain a percentage.
	A railway staff assault is any incident where, in circumstances related to their work, a member of staff is assaulted, threatened or abused, thereby affecting their health, safety or welfare.

Rape

Ashok Kumar: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what percentage of reported rape cases in (a) England and Wales, (b) the Tees Valley and (c) Middlesbrough, South and East Cleveland have involved the drug Ketamine.

Paul Goggins: The information requested is not collected centrally.

Regulation of Investigatory Powers Act

Mark Oaten: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what discussions he has had with industry representatives on the provisions relating to encryption in the Regulation of Investigatory Powers Act 2000; what plans he has to bring the relevant section into force; and if he will make a statement.

Charles Clarke: Home Office officials have had a number of discussions with industry representatives about the encryption provisions in part III of the Regulation of Investigatory Powers Act 2000. The Government will shortly publish for public consultation a draft code of practice on the operation of those provisions. An order to commence part III will be made once Parliament have approved the code of practice by a resolution of both Houses.

Road Safety

Si�n James: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many employers have been prosecuted in England and Wales for requiring their employees to use a hand held mobile phone while driving.

Paul Goggins: Regulation 110 of the Road Vehicles (Construction and Use) Regulations 1986, which governs the use of mobile phones in a vehicle, came into effect on 1 December 2003. Regulation 110 (2) provides that no person shall cause or permit any other person to drive a motor vehicle on a road while that person is using a hand-held mobile phone. For 2003 the offence was not separately identifiable from other offences under Regulation 110. Data for 2004 will be available early in 2006.

Safer Neighbourhoods Scheme

Stephen Hammond: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department whether he expects the Safer Neighbourhoods scheme to be extended to every ward in every borough by 2006; what funding has been allocated for the scheme; and whether additional (a) police and (b) community support officers will need to be recruited.

Hazel Blears: The Safer Neighbourhoods programme is an initiative of the Metropolitan Police Service (MRS) in conjunction with the Metropolitan Police Authority (MPA) and the Mayor of London. It is for the Commissioner of Police of the Metropolis to ensure roll-out in agreement with his police authority and with the mayor. Funding is a matter for the mayor and the police authority through central Government grant, precept on local authorities and national non-domestic rate.
	The Home Office provides funding towards increases in numbers of community support officers (CSOs). In 200506, this is estimated to be 21 million for the MPS. The MPA also attracts funding from other partners, such as Transport for London and a number of London boroughs. The Government are increasing the money available to support further increases in CSOs through the Neighbourhood Policing Fund and this will impact on London as elsewhere. Details of this will be decided shortly. The Government have made a commitment that by 2008, every area in England and Wales will benefit from dedicated, visible, accessible and responsive neighbourhood policing teams.
	The number of police officers in the Metropolitan Police District (up 5,000 in five years) and nationally is at a record high. It is for the Commissioner to determine how to deploy them.

Secondments

Austin Mitchell: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many staff in his Department have been on attachment (a) from and (b) to biosecurity companies in the last three years, broken down by company.

Charles Clarke: Attachments are part of the Interchange initiative, which promotes the exchange of people and good practice between the civil service and other organisationspublic, private and voluntary. Interchange provides opportunities for civil servants to learn new skills, widen their experience and develop their ideas. It also brings in skills and experience from other sectors. There have been no staff in the Home Department on attachment to or from biosecurity companies in the past three years.

Secure Training Centres

Sally Keeble: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department on how many occasions young people have been handcuffed in each of the secure training centres in each of the last six months.

Fiona Mactaggart: The information requested is given in the table.
	
		Number of occasions young people handcuffed in STCs
		
			  Hassockfield Oakhill Medway Rainsbrook 
		
		
			 April 1 2 0 0 
			 May 2 2 0 0 
			 June 1 1 0 0 
			 July 11 4 0 0 
			 August 10 6 0 0 
			 September 4 2 0 0

Secure Training Centres

Sally Keeble: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many secure training centres were included in the review of restraint in secure training centres.

Fiona Mactaggart: The review involved the Prison Service national instructors in Physical Control in Care visiting all three of the centres then in operation (Hassockfield, Medway and Rainsbrook) and producing proposals for change to a review panel of independent experts.

Senior Officers (Transport)

Phil Willis: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many senior officers are provided with transport for (a) business and (b) private use, broken down by rank, in each police force in England and Wales.

Hazel Blears: This information is not held centrally and could be obtained only at disproportionate cost.

Serious Fraud Office

Malcolm Bruce: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department pursuant to the answer of 11 July 2005, Official Report, column 631W, on the Serious Fraud Office, whether all parties have now agreed the revised version of the memorandum of understanding; and if he will make a statement.

Paul Goggins: holding answer 28 October 2005
	The revised version of the memorandum of understanding is still to be finally agreed by all parties. The Home Office is co-ordinating this task and expects the revised version to be agreed shortly. The current version of the MOU is available on request, and the revised version will be placed in the Library.

Terrorism Act

Dawn Butler: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what information he collates on terrorist suspects.

Charles Clarke: The police and security service are responsible for collecting information on terrorist suspects. The Home Office do not routinely collect detailed information on all terrorist cases, but does keep some records, particularly regarding individuals subject to criminal, immigration, extradition or other judicial action and to facilitate work with other departments. Statistics on arrests under the Terrorism Act 2000 and the report published by the reviewer of the Terrorism Act 2000 are available on the Home Office website.

Terrorism Act

Alan Simpson: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he will list the organisations, causes, or movements that each of the people so far convicted of offences under the Terrorism Act 2000 were associated with.

Charles Clarke: Most offences in the Terrorism Act 2000 do not rely on a link with a proscribed organisation. Such a link is necessary only in respect of the offences in sections 11 to 13, and even in such cases, the particular proscribed organisation involved is not expressly reflected in the indictment. Accordingly, the information requested is not readily available and could be obtained only at disproportionate cost.

Violent Incidents

Phyllis Starkey: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what estimate his Department has made of the number of violent incidents which resulted in injuries caused by glasses or glass bottles in 200405.

Hazel Blears: Estimates of the proportion of violent incidents that involve use of a glass or bottle based on the 200405 British crime survey (BCS) will be published shortly. However, available data from the 200304 BCS indicates that a glass or bottle is used as a weapon in 5 per cent. of violent incidents.

Volunteering

Lynne Featherstone: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how much of the Volunteer Recruitment Fund remains unallocated; and if he will make a statement.

Paul Goggins: None of the Volunteer Recruitment Fund remains unallocated. The total allocation in 200405 and 200506 is 3,985,861.

Volunteering

Nick Gibb: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many volunteering positions his Department has offered in each of the last five years.

Charles Clarke: These figures are not readily available and could be obtained only at disproportionate cost.

Volunteering

Lynne Featherstone: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what the cost was of the publication Think Smart . . . Think Voluntary Sector; and if he will make a statement.

Paul Goggins: The cost of printing Think Smart . . . Think Voluntary Sector was 5,182. The publication promotes good practice in contractual arrangements with the voluntary and community sector.
	The Government are committed to a strong and thriving voluntary and community sector, and ensuring its role in public service reform. Think Smart . . . Think Voluntary Sector aims to highlight the value of and opportunities for working with the sector. It also addresses the barriers it can face in dealing with public sector bodies. A better funding relationship will help voluntary and community sector organisations to be more effective and achieve better value for money.

Volunteering

Lynne Featherstone: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what assessment he has made of the impact of the 2005 Year of the Volunteer campaign; and if he will make a statement.

Paul Goggins: The Year of the Volunteer 2005 has been a successful celebration of the contribution made by volunteers, with over 1,000 events organised during the Year so far. The Year has been led by the voluntary and community sector and early indications are that the sector plans to repeat the 'Environment' and 'Health' theme months in 2006. We are commissioning an independent research organisation to conduct a review of the Year which we hope will be completed by March of next year.

Volunteering

Lynne Featherstone: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many visitors have visited the 2005 Year of the Volunteer campaign website www.yearofthevolunteer.org, broken down by month; what the cost has been of this website; and if he will make a statement.

Paul Goggins: 260,735 people have visited the Year of the Volunteer 2005 website during the year. The details are given in table one. The figures reflect, in particular, the very popular Special Constables recruitment campaign in the spring and the launch of the 'Billion Minutes' campaign in the summer. The total cost of the website (projected to 31 December 2005) is approximately 67,400.
	
		Table 1: Breakdown of page views, visits and visitors to the Year of the Volunteer 2005 website, broken down by month
		
			 Date Page views Visits Visitors 
		
		
			 2005
			 January 24,545 11,922 11,240 
			 February 75,664 22,612 21,051 
			 March 238,376 66,340 62,542 
			 April 103,448 27,716 26,093 
			 May 87,417 23,011 21,725 
			 June 111,491 32,435 30,527 
			 July 128,833 35,423 33,285 
			 August 176,678 30,456 28,592 
			 September 156,118 27,085 25,680 
			 
			 Total 1,102,570 277,000 260,735 
			 
			 Average 122,508 30,778 28,971 
		
	
	Note:
	One single review shows you how often visitors look at specific pages on your website, in how many visits and by how many visitors.

Volunteering

Lynne Featherstone: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what the expenditure by his Department was on the 2005 Year of the Volunteer campaign; and if he will make a statement.

Paul Goggins: The Home Office expenditure for the Year of the Volunteer 2005 is 7.1 million The details of how this has been allocated is given in the table. Volunteering is a devolved issue and expenditure listed is England-wide only.
	The Home Office expenditure for the Year of the Volunteer follows at table 1.
	
		Table 1: Home Office investment into YV05
		
			  Amount invested by the Home Office () Policy initiatives 
		
		
			 Community Service Volunteers 1,000,000 Principal Voluntary Sector partner delivering a range of activities, events, promotional materials and press and media coverage 
			 Community Service Volunteers 500,000 To deliver a government employee volunteering scheme 
			 Volunteering England 1,000,000 Principal Voluntary Sector partner working with a consortium to deliver a range of activities, events, promotional materials and press and media coverage 
			 Volunteering England 3,000,000 To increase the capacity of local volunteer centres throughout England 
			 Volunteering England 250,000 Small grants programme for other stakeholders who can contribute to achieving the objectives of YOV 2005 
			 Marketing/Communications Support 250, 000 Research and branding, publicity, partnership marketing and the YOV 2005 website (www.yearofthevolunteer.org) 
			 Website and YOV 2005 evaluation  support 100,000 To develop and enhance www.yearofthevolunteer.org and manage project evaluation 
			 Media Trust 1,000,000 For high-profile, multi-media consumer marketing campaign which aims to supercharge the year, raise awareness of volunteering and drive registrations of new volunteers 
			 Total 7,100,000

FOREIGN AND COMMONWEALTH AFFAIRS

EU Rebate

Desmond Swayne: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what progress has been made in negotiations with his EU partners regarding the UK budget rebate.

Douglas Alexander: We are committed to reaching a deal at the December European Council. Our position on the abatement remains as set out by my right hon. Friend the Prime Minister before this House on 20 June 2005.

Turkey

Meg Hillier: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what the timetable is for Turkey's potential accession to the EU.

Douglas Alexander: Before accession to the EU, Turkey must align its legislation to meet EU standards in 35 chapters of the acquis communitaire. The timescale of the negotiations will depend on progress in doing so. But, the EU and Turkey are both agreed that accession negotiations are likely to take at least 10 years.

Turkey

Wayne David: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what assessment he has made of the likely time scale for Turkish accession to the EU.

Douglas Alexander: Before accession to the EU, Turkey must align its legislation to meet EU standards in 35 chapters of the acquis communitaire. The time scale of the negotiations will depend on progress in doing so. But, the EU and Turkey are both agreed that accession negotiations are likely to take at least 10 years.

Earthquake (Subcontinent)

Kitty Ussher: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what discussions he has had with the governments of India and Pakistan on lifting the line of control following the recent earthquake.

Kim Howells: We shall be making clear to the Governments of India and Pakistan that we welcome their decision on 30 October to open five crossing points on the Line of Control for the delivery of humanitarian relief to those affected by the earthquake and to allow people to cross on foot, with the correct permits.

British Council

Claire Curtis-Thomas: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if he will make a statement on the role that the British Council plays in promoting UK-based education programmes, with particular reference to engineering.

Ian Pearson: The British Council's Education UK Partnership helps UK education providers recruit overseas students for all the subjects they offer, including engineering. In 200304, 325,760 overseas students studied in higher education establishments in the UK. Of these, 15,310 were engineering students. This represents a 2.7 per cent. increase in engineering students on the previous year.
	[200304 is the latest year figures are available. Figures include students from the EU]

Afghanistan

Tony Baldry: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what his assessment is of the outcome of the recent parliamentary elections in Afghanistan.

Kim Howells: The 18 September Afghan parliamentary and provincial elections represent a remarkable achievement for Afghanistan. The elections went relatively smoothly and there were no major security incidents. Voter turnout is estimated to be 6.8 million (53 per cent.), of which 43 per cent. were women who will be strongly represented in the new Parliament. The Electoral Complaints Commission is investigating allegations of fraud but we understand these are unlikely to significantly affect the final outcome.
	The new Afghan Parliament is expected to convene on 19 December.

Iraq

Sharon Hodgson: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs when he expects the UN Security Council to make a decision on extending the mandate for the multinational force in Iraq; and if he will make a statement.

Kim Howells: The United Kingdom and United States will circulate a draft resolution to the Security Council this November
	At the request of the Iraqi Transitional Government, the resolution will seek to extend the mandate for the Multi-National Forces in Iraq, the Development Fund for Iraq and its International Advisory and Monitoring Board.

Iraq

Norman Baker: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if he will quantify the (a) benefits and (b) disbenefits that have been accrued by the UK following the participation in the Iraqi invasion.

Kim Howells: holding answer 26 October 2005
	The decision to take military action against Iraq was not taken lightly. Whatever past divisions there have been over the decision to take military action, there is now a broad international consensus, expressed in United Nations Security Council Resolution 1546, that we and the rest of the international community should work with the Iraqi Government to help achieve a democratic, secure and prosperous Iraq, which poses no threat to its neighbours. We will not be in a position to quantify what benefits and disbenefits have accrued to the UK until our job in helping the Iraqi people is done. It is clear, however, that if the UK with the international community maintain their commitment to the goal of a democratic, secure and prosperous Iraq, there will be net benefit to the British people.
	The Iraqi political process goes forward. The Iraqi people's enthusiastic participation in the January elections and the constitutional referendum on 15 October demonstrates Iraqis' appetite for a democratic process which can deliver accountable and effective government.
	On reconstruction, the Iraqis are in the lead on coordinating donor support. The UK is playing its part. The Department for International Development has so far committed more than 417 million to humanitarian and reconstruction in Iraq, and has spent more than 275 million. There have been significant achievements despite all the challenges: there is a stable economy with low inflation; more power is generated; more people have access to drinking water and sewerage systems; there has been a decline in disease rates for malaria, polio, measles, and mumps; an independent media is flourishing; and 2,500 NGOs are registered with the Iraq Transitional Government.
	The UK is working closely with the Iraqis and with Coalition partners to rebuild Iraq's security institutions. We currently run projects to rebuild Iraq's military, police and the prison services in the South East of Iraq, and projects to increase the governance capacity of the Ministry of the Interior in Baghdad. We are doing all we can, along with the rest of the international community, to support the Iraqi security forces in their efforts to improve their capacity and effectiveness in tackling the security situation.
	Clearly our commitment has not been without cost to us, both in strict resource terms but also, most importantly, in terms of British lives lost. I very much regret the loss of life among British forces (and the multi-national force more broadly) and among Iraqi civilians. The overwhelming reason people are dying in Iraq is because terrorists are killing them. There is no 100 per cent. reliable and accurate assessment of casualties in Iraq. What is clear is that any civilian death, in whatever circumstances, is one too many.

Iraq

Adam Price: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if he will list opinion surveys of the Iraqi people conducted with United Kingdom financial support in the last 12 months.

Kim Howells: The Foreign and Commonwealth Office has funded one public opinion survey in Iraq in the last 12 months. The survey was carried out in seven cities in November 2004. The survey sought information on Iraqis' views on the democratic transition process, the proposed January 2005 elections, their employment status and their media consumption.

Democracy Promotion

Mark Harper: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if he will make a statement on the role of the UK Government in promoting democracy around the world.

Ian Pearson: As my right hon. Friend the Foreign Secretary has said, promoting democracy has to be at the heart of our foreign policy. We actively support the development of democratic institutions around the world so that all people should have Governments which are effective, accountable and representative.

State Visit (Chinese Premier)

Jeremy Hunt: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if he will make a statement on the forthcoming state visit of the Chinese premier.

Ian Pearson: The visit of President Hu Jintao reaffirms our bilateral relationship with China, which is becoming an increasingly important international player. President Hu's programme in London will include meetings with the Prime Minister, the Leader of the Opposition and Leader of the Liberal Democrats to discuss and take forward co-operation in a range of bilateral and international issues.

Middle East

Bob Russell: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs when he last made representations to the Israeli Government concerning the building of settlements on the west bank.

Kim Howells: We have made our concerns on continuing settlement activity clear with the Israeli Government at all levels, and will continue to do so. Most recently I set out our position on settlement activity in the west bank in meetings with Israeli Foreign Minister Shalom and Housing Minister Herzog, during my visit to Israel in September.

WTO Talks

David Borrow: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what discussions he has had with other EU Foreign Ministers about the World Trade Organisation talks in Hong Kong in December.

Douglas Alexander: The World Trade Organisation ministerial in Hong Kong is a vital staging post towards concluding the current round of WTO negotiations. We want an ambitious, pro-development outcome. My right hon. Friend the Foreign Secretary chaired a discussion on the WTO negotiations at a meeting of EU Foreign Ministers on 18 October, which I attended. Member states confirmed their support for Trade Commissioner Peter Mandelson in negotiating a successful, balanced outcome.

Automated Signing Machines

Austin Mitchell: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs whether (a) he or (b) any other Minister in his Department uses (i) an automated signing machine and (ii) a stamp for ministerial correspondence purposes.

Jack Straw: Foreign and Commonwealth Office Ministers do not use stamps or automated signing machines in place of signing ministerial correspondence. All replies to ministerial correspondence are cleared by the answering Minister before being issued and should be signed by them personally.
	Electronic signatures are held, but only used in exceptional circumstances, for example if a Minister clears a reply while overseas and wishes it to issue before his or her return. A Private Secretary may in similar circumstances sign a letter on behalf of their Minister, but I aim to keep such occasions to a minimum.
	Guidance on handling ministerial correspondence is set out in 'Handling Correspondence from Members of Parliament, Members of the House of Lords, MEPs and Members of Devolved Assemblies: Guidance for Departments', copies of which are available in the Libraries of the House.

Chevening Scholarships

Tony Baldry: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs how many Chevening scholarships his Department has awarded this year; how many students have been unable to take-up these scholarships as a consequence of their Government withdrawing their passports; and if he will make a statement.

Jack Straw: We expect the total number of Chevening scholarship and fellowship awards for 200506 to be in the region of 2,000. However, these awards are only now being processed. It will be some months before an exact figure is available. I know of only one case of a new scholar being unable to take up their Chevening award this year as a consequence of a Government withdrawing their passport. I refer to the reply by my hon. Friend, the Minister of State for Trade, Investment and Foreign Affairs (Ian Pearson), gave the hon. Member on 26 October 2005, Official Report, column 465W.

China

Stephen Hammond: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if he will make a statement on China's international relations, with particular reference to Taiwan.

Ian Pearson: China is playing an increasingly active and important role in the world. China's growing influence can be felt regionally and internationally; its emergence provides both opportunities as well as challenges. We engage in regular high-level dialogue with the Chinese Government on a range of international issues. The next opportunity will be of course the forthcoming state visit later this month.
	On Taiwan, we urge both sides to avoid unilateral measures that might raise tension. Our view is that the Taiwan issue is one to be settled by the people on both sides of the Taiwan Straits.
	There have been tentative but welcome signs of a reduction in cross-strait tensions. For example, over the Chinese new year there were direct cross-strait charter flights, the first time in 50 years. And earlier this year Taiwanese opposition party leaders made landmark visits to China. Since then a number of other initiatives have followed such as the lifting of certain agricultural tariffs, the opening up of tourism, reduction of tuition fees for students from Taiwan studying in China and Taiwanese carrier over-flights. Additionally, Taiwan has permitted RMB currency exchanges on the surrounding islands of Kinmen and Matsu.
	We welcome efforts by both sides to lower tensions and to find a mutually acceptable basis for resumption of peaceful dialogue.

China

James Arbuthnot: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what recent discussions he has had with his EU counterparts on the EU arms embargo in relation to China; and if he will make a statement.

Ian Pearson: We are continuing discussions with EU partners on the modernisation of arms export controls, including the review of the arms embargo on China imposed in 1989.

Colombia

Jeffrey M Donaldson: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs whether he has received a request from the Colombian Government for assistance from the UK (a) police and (b) armed forces in training their security forces to deal with improvised explosive devices.

Douglas Alexander: holding answer 31 October 2005
	The UK has not received any recent request from the Colombian Government for assistance in training on Improvised Explosive Device Disposal (IEDD). However, the British Army is already involved with the Colombian security forces in a programme of ongoing Explosive Ordnance Disposal training, which covers IEDD.
	As well as aiming to reduce the number of deaths, both civilian and military, from explosive devices, our training endeavours to introduce Colombian military personnel to British defence concepts in key areas such as Rules of Engagement and democratic and accountable control of the armed forces.

Democratic Republic of Congo

David Drew: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what assessment he has made of the security situation in the Democratic Republic of Congo.

Ian Pearson: The security situation in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) has improved since 2004, but areas of instability remain, particularly in the east. In Ituri and the Kivus, the security situation remains fragile, with civilians continuing to suffer abuses by armed groups.
	Despite the UN Peacekeeping Mission (MONUC)'s operations to disarm Ituri militias and to disrupt the activities of the Forces Democratiques de Liberation du Rwanda (FDLR), these militia groups continue to persecute civilians. We continue to support MONUC's robust approach to protecting civilians and tackling armed groups in Ituri, which they should replicate in the Kivus. We have urged regional governments to work together to disarm these groups.

Democratic Republic of Congo

David Drew: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what assessment he has made of mercenary activity in the Democratic Republic of Congo.

Ian Pearson: The UN Panel's final report on the Illegal Exploitation of Natural Resources of 28 October 2003 and the reports of the UN group of experts on the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) arms embargo identified that foreign individuals have been and continue to be paid to play a military role or provide assistance to armed groups in the DRC.
	We continue to urge regional governments to work together with the UN Peacekeeping Mission (MONUC) to disarm militias and foreign armed groups and we support MONUC's efforts to disarm these groups and to prevent weapons from reaching them.

Departmental Energy Consumption

Norman Lamb: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs how much energy has been consumed by his Department in each of the last five years; and how much was spent on energy in each year.

Jack Straw: The energy consumption in the Foreign and Commonwealth Office (FCO) UK estate (including Wilton Park) in the last five years is:
	
		kWh
		
			  Energy consumption 
		
		
			 200001 33,331,523.00 
			 200102 29,899,666.67 
			 200203 31,025,558.60 
			 200304 32,555,363.00 
			 200405 32,835,032.00 
		
	
	The cost of energy consumed in the FCO UK estate (including Wilton Park) in the last five years is:
	
		
		
			  Energy consumed 
		
		
			 200001 1,722,755.70 
			 200102 1,747,318.10 
			 200203 1,526,771.65 
			 200304 1,590,500.74 
			 200405 1,809,317.95 
		
	
	The FCO has recently committed to a series of projects, valued at approximately 250,000, designed to make the estate more energy efficient. This will reduce energy consumption from 200607, and reduce expenditure on energy in real terms. Effective payback for the project is expected within three years.
	The overseas estate figures have been excluded as the estate is extremely diverse and widespread. As a consequence collating such information could be achieved only at disproportionate cost.

Holy See

Andrew MacKinlay: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs when and in which publications the post of Ambassador to the Holy See will be advertised.

Jack Straw: The post of Her Majesty's Ambassador to the Holy See was advertised in the following publications:
	The Economist on 22 July 2005
	The Guardian and The Guardian Web page on 20 July 2005
	The Daily Telegraph on 21 July 2005
	The Independent on 21 July 2005
	The Times on 19 July 2005
	The Financial Times on 21 July 2005
	This recruitment campaign has now closed. We expect to make an announcement concerning the appointment of the new Ambassador to the Holy See in due course.

Queen's Speech

Andrew MacKinlay: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs on which occasions over the past 30 years a state visit has not been referred to in the Queen's Speech prior to the visit; and if he will make a statement.

Jack Straw: On one occasion the State Visit by the Chinese President Hu Jintao which will take place between November 8 and 10. The visit was not announced in Her Majesty the Queen's Speech last May as the possibility of the visit was still under discussion and dates had not been agreed. There are no such other examples in recent years of which I am aware.

Raul Fernandes

Keith Vaz: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if he will make a statement on the reasons for Raul Fernandes dismissal from his employment at the British embassy in Dubai on 5 March 2002.

Jack Straw: Mr Fernandes is in dispute with the Foreign and Commonwealth Office about events relating to his dismissal from the British embassy in Dubai on 5 March 2002. We cannot comment on the case pending the outcome of current legal proceedings.

Sudan

David Drew: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if he will make a statement on commercial prostitution in the camps in Darfur.

Ian Pearson: There are anecdotal reports that commercial sex is on the rise within the camps for internally displaced persons in Darfur. However, at present, there is little verifiable evidence of this practice. A number of agencies in the humanitarian community are trying to gain more understanding on what seems to be a growing spread of illegal activities in the camps, including prostitution, and of the tolerance of the local authorities to this problem.
	We have made clear that all humanitarian staff of the UN and non-governmental organisations in Darfur should commit to the principles of the Inter-Agency Standing Committee's code of conduct on the prevention of sexual exploitation and abuse.

UK Presidency

Lee Scott: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if he will make a statement on progress on reform of the European Union institutions under the UK presidency of the European Union.

Douglas Alexander: As my right hon. Friend the Prime Minister has made clear, the Government have focussed during the UK presidency of the EU on taking forward a wider debate about the future direction of the EU rather than looking once again at their institutional architecture. The Informal Summit at Hampton Court has helped the EU to find new ways to meet the challenge of globalisation better. In that context the UK will continue to advocate positive reforms of the EU institutions where necessary.

HEALTH

Allergies

Nadine Dorries: To ask the Secretary of State for Health 
	(1)  what steps the Government are taking to ensure that complementary allergy practitioners are properly (a) regulated and (b) inspected; and if she will make a statement;
	(2)  what steps the Government have taken to ensure parents and legal guardians are appropriately trained and informed on how EpiPens should be used; and if she will make a statement;
	(3)  what research the Government have commissioned on changes in numbers of allergy sufferers in the last five years;
	(4)  what steps she is taking to improve the level of (a) training in and (b) awareness of allergies of health professionals who work in (i) primary and (ii) secondary health care; and if she will make a statement;
	(5)  what steps she is taking to improve (a) access to and (b) information about specialist allergy treatment; and if she will make a statement.

Liam Byrne: Primary care trusts, in partnership with local stakeholders, are responsible for determining which health services their local population requires and ensuring the provision of these services.
	In its response to the Health Select Committee on the provision of allergy services, the Government undertook to carry out a review of the available data and research on the epidemiology of allergic conditions, the demand for and provision of treatment and the effectiveness of relevant interventions. This review, which is being overseen by the chief medical officer and is due to report by June 2006, will inform decisions about what steps could be taken to address any service gaps and pressures that are revealed by the review.
	The Government recognise that one of the key determinants of the quality of patient care is that health professionals have an appropriate level of skills and knowledge. Addressing the training needs of health professionals is, however, the responsibility of the appropriate regulatory bodies. They set standards for the pre-registration training of doctors, nurses and other health care professionals, approve the education institutions that provide the training and determine the curricula.
	Post-registration training needs for national health service staff are decided against local NHS priorities, through appraisal processes and training needs analyses informed by local delivery plans and the needs of the service. Local authorities and health service providers decide how best to provide services to meet the needs of the individuals.
	We have not commissioned research into the rise in incidence of allergic conditions. The independent allergy charity, Allergy UK, estimates that allergic conditions affects approximately one in four of the United Kingdom population at some time in their lives, with the numbers affected increasing by five per cent. each year.
	The Government place great importance on protecting the public from potentially unsafe practitioners, and intends to take forward statutory regulation of herbal medicine and acupuncture. We encourage other currently unregulated complementary practitioners to develop their own unified systems of voluntary self-regulation. The Department have awarded a grant of 900,000 over the next three years to the Prince of Wales's Foundation for Integrated Health to work with a range of complementary health care professions to develop a voluntary self-regulation scheme.
	Responsibility for educating parents and legal guardians in the use EpiPens rests with prescribing health professional. Doctors, pharmacists and other health care professionals should support parents and carers in providing information about medicines and promoting the use of information resources such as www.nhsdirect.nhs.uk/

Asthma

Helen Jones: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what steps she is taking to ensure that every person with asthma has a personal asthma plan.

Liam Byrne: We have no plans to ensure that every person with asthma has a personal asthma plan. However, we have a public service agreement target to improve health outcomes for people with long-term conditions by offering a personalised care plan for vulnerable people most at riskthis would include some asthma sufferers.

Avian Influenza

Andrew Lansley: To ask the Secretary of State for Health pursuant to the answer of 21 July 2005, Official Report, column 2146W, on avian influenza, if she will provide a breakdown of the 200 million allocation by major cost area.

Caroline Flint: The majority of our money has been spent on purchasing antivirals. The remaining expenditure includes the cost of our communication strategy and the tender for H5N1 vaccine.

Avian Influenza

Damian Green: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what steps she plans to take to prevent the possible transfer of avian influenza to humans from the spreading of chicken manure as fertiliser.

Ben Bradshaw: I have been asked to reply.
	As laid out in the Diseases of Poultry (England) Order of 2003, if there is an outbreak of avian influenza, then controls would be put in place around the infected premises. In the Protection Zone, which extends for a minimum of 3 km around the premises, no used litter or poultry manure may be removed from or spread on any premises. In the Surveillance Zone, which extends for a minimum of 10 km around the infected premises, used litter and poultry manure are not to be moved outside the Zone. Manure and litter considered to be a risk from the infected premises will be treated or disposed of safely.

Avian Influenza

Andrew Murrison: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what advice she has issued on the vaccination of poultry workers against influenza.

Caroline Flint: holding answer 28 October 2005
	This has been considered by the joint committee for vaccination and immunisation at their most recent meeting in October. It was agreed that poultry workers should be added to the seasonal influenza list if avian influenza was present in the United Kingdom. Arrangements have been made for poultry workers involved in culling to receive priority for antivirals if required.

Bathing Adaptations/Equipment

Mike Wood: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what guidance her Department provides to local authorities on the provision of bathing adaptations and equipment; and what criteria are applied to decide an individual's medical need to bath.

Liam Byrne: The integrated community equipment services (ICES) team produced guidance to local authorities on the provision of bathing adaptations and equipment. The guidance can be found on the ICES website at http://www.icesdoh.org/article.asp?Topic=82.
	An individual's medical need to bathe is a matter for the local health and social care providers to determine.

Cancer Treatment

Vincent Cable: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what funding the Government have allocated to research into the mental health problems suffered by cancer patients as a result of cancer treatments in each of the last five years.

Jane Kennedy: The information requested is not available.
	The main part of the Department's expenditure on health research is allocated to and managed by national health service organisations. These organisations account for their use of the allocations they receive from the Department in an annual research and development report. The reports identify total, aggregated expenditure on national priority areas, including cancer. Details of individual projects supported in the NHS can be found on the national research register at www.dh.gov.uk/research.
	The Department has funded a number of cancer research studies in which a quality of life assessment forms an integral part. These include a current, 180,000 project entitled, Mental health needs in patients with advanced cancerimplications for primary health care Teams. Details of the other projects can be found on the international cancer research portfolio database on www.cancerportfolio.org.

Care Homes

Paul Burstow: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many care homes for older people (a) exceeded, (b) met, (c) almost met and (d) failed to meet (i) standard 12 and (ii) standard 15 of the national minimum standards for each year for which figures are available.

Liam Byrne: The information requested is shown in the table.
	
		
			  4 (exceeded) 3 (met) 2 (almost met) 1 (failed to meet) 
			  Number Percentage Number Percentage Number Percentage Number Percentage 
		
		
			 200203 
			 Standard 12 589 6 6,163 66 2,217 24 370 4 
			 Standard 15 657 7 6,641 71 1,807 19 232 2 
			 200304 
			 Standard 12 949 8 8,093 70 2,164 19 365 3 
			 Standard 15 989 8 8,611 73 1,912 16 266 2 
			 200405 
			 Standard 12 922 8 7,758 69 2,204 20 351 3 
			 Standard 15 942 8 8,259 73 1,842 16 255 2 
		
	
	Source:
	Commission for Social Care Inspection.

Care Homes

Paul Burstow: To ask the Secretary of State for Health pursuant to her answer of 12 September 2005, Official Report, column 2655W, on care homes, what criteria were used in setting 31 December as the compliance date.

Liam Byrne: I understand from the Chief Inspector of the Commission for Social Care Inspection (CSCI), that, due to the uncertainty among providers over which date in 2005 the requirement relating to national vocational qualification level two target should be met, CSCI believed it would be fairest to give providers the maximum time possible, by setting 31 December 2005 as the compliance date.

Care Homes

Claire Curtis-Thomas: To ask the Secretary of State for Health 
	(1)  how many (a) unitary and (b) metropolitan local authorities have received claims for compensation for (i) sexual and (ii) physical abuse arising out of residence in care homes and residential schools;
	(2)  which local authorities have received claims for compensation for (a) sexual and (b) physical abuse arising out of residence in (i) care homes and (ii) residential schools; and what the total value of such claims is in respect of each authority;
	(3)  how much has been paid to claimants by local authorities for (a) sexual and (b) physical abuse arising out of residence in (i) care homes and (ii) residential schools since 1992.

Liam Byrne: This information is not held centrally.
	Information on residential schools is the responsibility of the Secretary of State for the Department for Education and Skills.

Carers

Mike Wood: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what assessment is made of the performance of local authorities in meeting the needs of carers; and if she will make a statement.

Liam Byrne: The Department's current performance assessment framework (PAF) includes an indicatorAO/D42reflecting the number of assessments and reviews of carers' needs undertaken by each council. Information showing the results for 200304 has been placed in the Library.
	However, we recognise that these figures do not give us the full picture of how carers' needs may be met. We have therefore developed a new PAF indicator with the Commission for Social Care Inspection, which will record the number of carers who receive services as a result of a carer's assessment. The first set of data will be available in December 2005.

Cataract Operations

Tim Loughton: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what the waiting time for cataract operations is in each primary care trust.

Rosie Winterton: The information requested is not available centrally. However, the maximum wait for cataract operations is now three months.

Child Vaccinations

David Amess: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what the take-up rate of child vaccinations is; and what assessment she has made of the factors which lead some parents not to have children vaccinated.

Caroline Flint: Information about the uptake of childhood immunisations is published annually in the national health service statistical bulletins. The latest bulletin, NHS Immunisation Statistics, England: 200405, is available in the Library and on the Department's website at:
	http://www.dh.gov.uk/PublicationsAndStatistics/Publications/PublicationsStatistics/PublicationsStatisticsArticle/fs/en? CONTENT_ID=4119649chk=r6rlW4
	Quarterly figures on uptake of childhood immunisations are published routinely and available on the Health Protection Agency website at:
	http://www.hpa.org.uk/infections/topics_az/vaccination/cover_sha.htm
	The most recent quarterly figures are for the period April to June 2005.
	Since 1991, the Department has commissioned a twice yearly survey to understand parents' knowledge of immunisation, attitudes towards immunisation and experience of immunisation services. Since the start of the survey more than 25,000 parentsmostly mothershave been questioned and their responses fed back into the programme. Our results suggest that mothers are more strongly influenced by the perceived risk of a vaccine, rather than assessing the overall risks/benefits of vaccinating or not vaccinating their child. This is be because mothers are no longer aware of the risk from the diseases that vaccination protects against.

Chronic Conditions

Adam Holloway: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what progress has been made in improving services for those with chronic conditions.

Liam Byrne: Supporting People with Long Term Conditionsan NHS and Social Care Model, was published in January 2005. Since this publication primary care trusts, supported by strategic health authorities, are working in partnership with local authorities to develop robust improvement plans for taking this forward, with an initial focus on implementing the case management approach to care.

Cued Speech

Brian Jenkins: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what plans she has to publicise and encourage the use of cued speech among the parents of deaf babies.

Maria Eagle: I have been asked to reply.
	It is not Governments place to recommend one particular form of communication with deaf babies and children. Through the Newborn Hearing Screening Programme it seeks to empower parents of hearing impaired children so that they can make informed choices about early communication and support options.
	The Newborn Hearing Screening Programme has greatly improved the early identification of hearing impairments. This has enabled local services to provide earlier support and appropriate interventions, and parents to get the best information on local options. The screening programme also aims to improve practice throughout services. It works alongside other wider DfES initiatives such as the Early Support Programme.
	The Early Support Programme aims to improve the services for disabled children aged 0 to 3 years and their families and has been operating since May 2002. It has produced a Monitoring Protocol for Deaf Babies and Children which, for the first time, offers a national resource to track development and progress over the first 3 years or so after identification of deafness.

Dentistry

Andrew Lansley: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what percentage of (a) adults and (b) children have been registered with a dentist in each year since 1997; and what percentage in each case was registered with a dentist (i) operating under general dental service contracts and (ii) operating under personal dental service contracts.

Rosie Winterton: Data on the estimated percentages of children, adults and the total population who are registered with general dental services (GDS) dentists and personal dental services (PDS) dentists at the end of March 2005 for each year since 1997 has been placed in the Library.

Dentistry

Steve Webb: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what percentage of five-year-olds have no decayed, filled or missing teeth, according to the latest British Association for the Study of Community Dentistry Survey of the dental caries experience of five-year-old children, in (a) England, (b) each strategic health authority and (c) each primary care trust.

Rosie Winterton: The percentage of five-year-old children in England with no decayed, missing or filled teeth in the 200304 survey was 61.3 per cent.
	The British Association for the Study of Community Dentistry survey data by strategic health authority and primary care trust has been placed in the Library.

Dentistry

Ben Wallace: To ask the Secretary of State for Health 
	(1)  what percentage of the population was registered with an NHS dentist in (a) England, (b) Lancashire and (c) Lancaster and Wyre in each of the last 10 years for which figures are available;
	(2)  how many patients have been registered with an NHS dentist in Lancaster and Wyre constituency in each year since 1997.

Rosie Winterton: Information on the percentage of the population in England and Lancashire registered with a national health service dentist is shown in table 1.
	Population data is not available by constituency area, but dental registration figures for Lancashire and Wyre are shown in table 2.
	
		Table 1: Percentage of population registered with a NHS dentists in England, Cumbria and Lancashire strategic health authority (SHA) and primary care trusts (PCTs) as at 30 September in each year
		
			  1997 1998 1999 2000 2001 2002 2003 2004(34) 2005(34)(5508270035) 
		
		
			 England 56 49 49 50 49 49 49 48 48 
			 Of which:  
			 Cumbria and Lancashire SHA 55 50 51 51 50 50 49 49 48 
			 Blackburn with Darwen PCT 60 52 55 55 54 54 52 50 45 
			 Blackpool PCT 61 53 55 55 55 54 52 51 51 
			 Burnley, Pendle and Rossendale PCT 58 52 52 50 40 39 40 43 41 
			 Carlisle and District PCT 57 57 54 56 58 56 54 56 55 
			 Chorley and South Ribble PCT 46 42 44 45 46 48 47 50 51 
			 Eden Valley PCT 51 44 42 40 40 38 42 35 37 
			 Fylde PCT 64 58 60 60 57 58 57 69 70 
			 Hyndburn and Ribble Valley PCT 51 44 45 44 43 41 42 37 28 
			 Morecambe Bay PCT 55 50 51 52 52 52 50 48 48 
			 Preston PCT 58 53 52 51 47 47 47 48 51 
			 West Cumbria PCT 52 49 54 56 56 57 54 48 50 
			 West Lancashire PCT 51 45 46 48 46 48 49 51 56 
			 Wyre PCT 62 57 58 60 63 62 62 63 57 
		
	
	(34) 2004 and 2005 data includes general dental service and personal dental service (PDS) registrations/PDS patients seen (counts patients seen in the past 15 months for some PDS schemes).
	(35) 2005 data per population has been calculated on 2003 population data, as this is the most up to date available.
	Note:
	For 19972000, population has been calculated on 2001 population data, as this is the only population data available.
	Source:
	Dental Practice Board and Health and Social Care Information Centre.
	
		Table 2: Number of patients registered in Lancaster and Wyre constituency as at 30 September 1997 to 2005
		
			  Number of patients registered 
		
		
			 1997 69,806 
			 1998 65,986 
			 1999 65,061 
			 2000 65,133 
			 2001 61,082 
			 2002 58,430 
			 2003 57,631 
			 2004 56,873 
			 2005 58,426

Dentistry

Ben Wallace: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many NHS dentists were practising in (a) Lancaster and Wyre constituency and (b) England per head of population in each year since 1997.

Rosie Winterton: The table shows the number of national health service dentists practising in Lancaster and Wyre and in England. Population data are not available by parliamentary constituency, but the table includes comparable information on NHS dentists by head of population for Cumbria and Lancashire Strategic Health Authority (SHA) and for England.
	
		General dental services (GDS) and personal dental services (PDS)number of dentists and dentists per population in England and the specified areas as at 30 September each year -- Number of dentists
		
			  1997 1998 1999 2000 
		
		
			 England 16,815 17,338 17,863 18,241 
			  
			 Lancaster and Wyre constituency 45 45 46 43 
			 Cumbria and Lancashire SHA 651 671 682 669 
		
	
	
		Number of dentists
		
			  2001 2002 2003 2004 2005 
		
		
			 England 18,758 18,979 19,295 19,754 20,857 
			   
			 Lancaster and Wyre constituency 44 46 43 45 54 
			 Cumbria and Lancashire SHA 693 684 690 726 791 
		
	
	
		Dentists per population
		
			  1997 1998 1999 2000 
		
		
			 England 2,894 2,816 2,745 2,699 
			  
			 Lancaster and Wyre constituency n/a n/a n/a n/a 
			 Cumbria and Lancashire SHA 2,918 2,834 2,784 2,843 
		
	
	
		Dentists per population
		
			  2001 2002 2003 2004 2005 
		
		
			 England 2,636 2,616 2,584 2,536 2,402 
			   
			 Lancaster and Wyre constituency n/a n/a n/a n/a n/a 
			 Cumbria and Lancashire SHA 2,749 2,793 2,781 2,658 2,440 
		
	
	n/a=not availablepopulation data at constituency area are not available.
	Notes:
	1. The dentists include principals, assistants and trainees. Prison contracts are excluded from the data.
	2. The postcode of the dental practice was used to allocate dentists to specific geographic areas. Parliamentary constituency areas have been defined using the Office for National Statistics all fields postcode directory.
	3. 2005 data per population have been calculated using 2004 population data, as these are the most up to date available.

Dentistry

David Taylor: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what her policy is on waiting times for NHS dental appointments.

Rosie Winterton: holding answer 28 October 2005
	Waiting times for appointments at a high street dental surgery are at the discretion of the dentist according to clinical need.
	From April 2006, the national health service will be implementing a major programme of dental reforms. Primary care trusts will have responsibility for the local commissioning of dental services, which will help improve access to dental services.

Dentistry

Nigel Evans: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many patients were treated by (a) NHS and (b) private dentists in (i) 2005 and (ii) 1997.

Rosie Winterton: holding answer 28 October 2005
	The total number of recorded courses of treatment by national health service dentists in the general dental service and personal dental service in England for the years requested are:
	Financial year ending March 2005: 33.018 million;
	Financial year ending March 1997: 28.617 million.
	Some patients have more than one course of treatment.
	We do not collect data on the numbers of patients treated privately by dentists.

Diet

Tim Loughton: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what assessment she has made of the level of pesticides used on fruit provided to school children through five-a-day related schemes.

Caroline Flint: A continuous programme of testing for pesticide residues has been established for products supplied under the school fruit and vegetable scheme (SFVS) and all sources are tested before they are included in the scheme. The results are reviewed regularly to ensure they comply with the statutory maximum residue levels (MRLs) in place in the United Kingdom. To test the effectiveness of these results the Department has commissioned an ongoing programme to determine any inaccuracies found in the primary test. The programme is managed with the support of the pesticides safety directorate which reviews the results via the Pesticide Residues Committee and publishes them on its website.
	The Food Standards Agency and the Pesticides Residues Committee have confirmed that the residues found on fruit and vegetables provided under the scheme are neither of concern for children's health nor consumer health generally. MRLs are set taking into account consumption relative to body weight for different age groups including children. The MRL is typically set well below any safety limits.

Diet

Tim Loughton: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what assessment she has made of the eating habits of children who have participated in the school fruit and vegetable scheme.

Caroline Flint: An evaluation of the school fruit and vegetable scheme and its impact on the diet of children participating in the scheme was published in September 2005. The report is based on the evaluation of the scheme in the north east region during the period April to October 2005 and demonstrates that children ate significantly more fruit while participating in the scheme.
	Findings showed that:
	The combined fruit and vegetable consumption of children eating school dinners was greater than those who had packed lunches.
	Children who had packed lunches ate more snacks and desserts than those who had school dinners.
	Living in areas of high deprivation was associated with lower fruit and vegetable intake and higher consumption of snacks and desserts.
	Girls (but not boys) ate slightly more vegetables after the introduction of the scheme.
	The full report is available on the five-a-day website at www.5aday.nhs.uk.

Digital Hearing Aids

Adam Holloway: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what progress is being made in decreasing the waiting period for patients in need of digital hearing aids.

Liam Byrne: The information on waiting times for digital hearing aids is not held centrally. It is down to local providers to plan and commission appropriate services for their local population.

Electroconvulsive Therapy

David Amess: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what guidance has been issued to doctors relating to who should (a) administer and (b) receive electroconvulsive therapy in hospitals; and if she will make a statement.

Liam Byrne: In September 1998, the Chief Medical Officer and the President of the Royal College of Psychiatrists wrote to the chief executives of national health service trusts and consultant psychiatrists respectively indicating the need to consider and improve standards of electroconvulsive therapy (ECT) administration in relation to ongoing developments in clinical governance.
	In May 2003, the National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence (NICE) issued guidance to the NHS in England and Wales on the use of ECT.
	In June 2005, the Royal College of Psychiatrists' special committee on ECT published The ECT Handbook (Second Edition)The Third Report of the Royal College of Psychiatrists' Special Committee on ECT, which gives the latest clinical guidelines for psychiatrists who prescribe electroconvulsive therapy (ECT) and practitioners who administer it.
	Services continue to monitor the quality and safety of ECT. ECT is a regular part of clinical governance.

Emergency Response Services

Gordon Prentice: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many emergency calls were received by each call centre in each ambulance trust in England in the latest year for which figures are available.

Liam Byrne: The number of calls received by each ambulance control room is not collected centrally as some trusts have more than one control room. However, the number of calls received by each ambulance trust is available. This data are published in table three of the statistical bulletin, Ambulance Services, England: 200405, copies of which are available in the Library. This publication is also available on the Department's website at: www.dh.gov.uk.

Family and Childcare Services

William McCrea: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what assessment she has made of the adequacy of funding arrangements for family and childcare services.

Beverley Hughes: I have been asked to reply.
	My Department has invested well over 17 billion on the early years since 1997 as part of an unprecedented expansion of provision of childcare and services for young children and families. This includes funding to local authorities to support free early education for 3 and 4-year-olds.
	Funding to support the creation and sustainability of childcare places in England is now made available to local authorities via the General Sure Start Grant. Since 1997 funding specifically for childcare amounts to almost 1.2 billion. The most recent set of figures provided from Ofsted show that the stock of registered childcare places as at 30 September 2005 had reached 1,220,607. This means that the Public Service Agreement for the creation of registered childcare places for the period 200408 has already been met.
	As at January 2005, 96 per cent. of 3-year-olds were in some form of free early education. There are over 37,000 settings delivering free, Government funded, early education. We have also made available 4.8 million through the Strengthening Families Grant (which includes Marriage and Relationship Support Grant and Family Support Grant) to the voluntary and community sector providing family and relationship support for the financial year 200506. We have also made available to the sector 16.4 million from 200406 through the Parenting Fund (administered by the National Family and Parenting Institute). We have significantly increased our funding for Home Start UK which supports local schemes to deliver a high quality home visiting support to families, from 874,000 in 200304 to 2.46 million in 200405 and 2.59 million in 200506. We are also undertaking a wide range of additional activity aimed at supporting families but cannot identify expenditure specifically allocated to families.
	Between 2004 and 2006 we have allocated 435 million to local authorities for children's centres to deliver childcare, early learning, health and family support services. In addition we are making 210 million available in 200607 through the Learning and Skills Council for adults learning for personal and community development. This includes 37 million specifically for family learning including the family literacy, language and numeracy programme.
	The Government more widely have also made significant increases to child benefit, and more generous support through the new tax credits. Budget 2004 announced that the Formula Spending Share for children's social services would rise by 500 million between 200506 and 200708 to a total of 4.5 billion.

Family Planning Clinics

David Amess: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many family planning clinics there were in each year since 1983; and how many women were seen by them in each year.

Caroline Flint: The information that is currently received by the Department is collated at family planning service provider level rather than by individual family planning clinics. In 200405, information was submitted by 175 service providers (primary care trusts and national health service trusts) and 14 Brook Advisory Centres, covering the whole of family planning service provision in England.
	The number of different women seen each year by NHS family planning clinics and Brook Advisory Centres is published in table two of the statistical bulletin NHS Contraceptive Services, England, copies of which are available in the Library and on the Health and Social Care Information Centre's website at www.ic.nhs.uk/pubs/contraceng2005. The most recent data are in the 200405 edition and the 200001 edition has data back to 1983.

General Social Care Council

Paul Burstow: To ask the Secretary of State for Health when she expects to make decisions concerning further groups to be registered with the General Social Care Council.

Liam Byrne: On 21 July 2005, I announced plans to register the next groups of staff in the social care workforce. These include domiciliary and residential care staff, working with both children and adults. Officials are working with the General Social Care Council on a timetable for implementation of these changes and are developing plans to roll out registration to other groups of social care workers in a manageable way.

Heart By-pass Surgery (Southend)

David Amess: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what the average waiting time for NHS heart by-pass surgery was in Southend in the last period for which figures are available.

Rosie Winterton: The latest available data is for the year ending April 2004. This shows that the average time waited, based on elective finished in-year admissions, for national health service heart by-pass surgery for those residents within Southend-on-Sea Primary Care Trust area is 107 days.
	Notes:
	1. A finished in-year admission is the first period of in-patient care under one consultant within one healthcare provider, excluding admissions beginning before 1 April at the start of the datayear. Please note that admissions do not represent the number of in-patients, as a person may have more than one admission within the year. 2. Time waited (days)time waited statistics from hospital episode statistics (HES) are not the same as the published waiting list statistics. HES provides counts and time waited for all patients admitted to hospital within a given period, whereas the published waiting list statistics count those waiting for treatment on a specific date and how long they have been on the waiting list. Also, HES calculates the time waited as the difference between the admission and decision to admit dates. Unlike published waiting list statistics, this is not adjusted for self-deferrals or periods of medical/social suspension.
	Source:
	HES, Health and Social Care Information Centre.

Hospital Staffing

Tony Baldry: To ask the Secretary of State for Health whether Ministers have issued revised guidance to trusts on the employment of doctors in senior house officer or equivalent posts in paediatric services.

Liam Byrne: Ministers have not issued any revised guidance to trusts over the employment of doctors in senior house officer or equivalent posts in paediatric services.

Hospital Staffing

Tony Baldry: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many junior doctors are seeking posts.

Liam Byrne: Information on the number of junior doctors currently seeking posts is not collected centrally.
	A snapshot survey of postgraduate deaneries established that as at early August 2005, 136 pre-registration house officers (PRHOs) in England did not have a substantive senior house officer (SHO) or equivalent post to move to upon the expiry of their PRHO contract. This number had reduced to around 100 by early September 2005 and we expect it to have reduced further as more SHO opportunities become available.

Hospital Waiting Times

Adam Holloway: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what guidance her Department provides on reducing waiting times in NHS hospitals.

Liam Byrne: Guidance including practical tools and techniques for reducing and maintaining patient waiting times is available on the NHS Modernisation Agency's website at:
	www.wise.nhs.uk

Influenza

Philip Hollobone: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what proportion of the at-risk population of (a) the Kettering primary care trust area, (b) Northamptonshire and (c) England is expected to be inoculated against existing strains of influenza by 31 December.

Caroline Flint: holding answer 21 October 2005
	Under the new inspection system national targets are no longer set. Targets are now a local decision. In the chief medical officer letter to health professionals dated 25 July, he said that continued improvement of uptake rates across all groups should be encouraged.

Influenza

Andrew Lansley: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many (a) strategic health authorities and (b) primary care trusts (PCTs) have influenza pandemic co-ordinators; and how many PCTs have an influenza planning committee.

Caroline Flint: As stated in the UK Influenza Contingency Plan, individual strategic health authorities and primary care trusts are responsible for nominating influenza pandemic coordinators and this information is not collated centrally.

Influenza

Andrew Lansley: To ask the Secretary of State for Health whether she intends to purchase a stockpile of gloves and masks for use by (a) health professionals and (b) the public in the event of an avian influenza pandemic.

Caroline Flint: The Department and the Health Protection Agency have just completed a review of the evidence on which its infection control advice is based and this was published on 19 October 2005. The guidance covers the level and type of protective measures and equipment required to deal with an influenza pandemic. The stock levels normally available in the national health service and its supply chain are also being reviewed and supplies of essential material will be augmented by further stockpiles if mathematical modelling indicates that this is appropriate.

Influenza

Andrew Lansley: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what guidance she has issued to general practitioners on steps they should take to prioritise care in the event of an avian influenza pandemic.

Caroline Flint: The UK Pandemic Influenza Contingent Plan provides advice to the national health service and others on the potential impact that a flu pandemic may have on the United Kingdom, and the need for the NHS to develop plans to manage during such an eventuality.
	We are in the process of sending information packs to general practitioners regarding preparations for an influenza pandemic. As outlined in the plan, primary care trusts are responsible for developing plans that take into account local needs. We have published Operational Guidance for Health Service Planners to help them do this effectively.

Influenza

Andrew Lansley: To ask the Secretary of State for Health if she will ask the National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence to produce guidance on the optimal use of antivirals during an influenza pandemic.

Caroline Flint: We are already working with the National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence (NICE) regarding the optimal use of antivirals. NICE representatives attended the Department's modelling sub-group of the scientific advisory group, which advises us on various issues including antiviral usage.

Influenza

Andrew Lansley: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what steps she is taking to support the development of reverse genetics technology in the production of vaccines against influenza.

Caroline Flint: This technique is already in operational use at the National Institute of Biological Research.

Influenza

Andrew Lansley: To ask the Secretary of State for Health if she will agree with influenza vaccine manufacturers an advanced purchase order for a vaccine against the pandemic strain of influenza to be produced as soon as the strain has been identified.

Caroline Flint: On 19 October 2005, we invited manufacturers to tender for a contract to supply pandemic flu vaccine once the pandemic strain is known. The United Kingdom will need approximately 120 million doses to be available as soon as possible.

Influenza

Michael Fabricant: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what percentage of the at risk population of (a) Staffordshire and (b) the West Midlands are expected to be inoculated against existing strains of influenza by the end of 2005; and if she will make a statement.

Rosie Winterton: Under the changed inspection system, new national targets are no longer set. Targets are now a local decision and can be set by primary care trusts. In his letter to health professionals of 25 July, the Chief Medical Officer said that continued improvement of uptake rates across all groups should be encouraged.

International Medical Graduates

Nick Brown: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many applications from international medical graduates applying for training posts in the UK there have been in each year since 1997; and what proportion of such applications were successful.

Liam Byrne: Information on the number of applications from international medical graduates applying for training posts in the United Kingdom since 1997 and the proportion that were successful is not collected centrally.

Junior Doctors

Bob Spink: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many junior doctors are currently unable to complete their training due to a lack of senior house officer posts.

Liam Byrne: Information on the number of junior doctors who are currently unable to complete their training because they have been unable to find a senior house officer post is not collected centrally.
	A snapshot survey of postgraduate deaneries established that as at early August 2005, 136 pre-registration house officers (PRHOs) in England did not have a substantive SHO or equivalent post to move to upon the expiry of their PRHO contract. This number had reduced to around 100 by early September 2005 and we expect it to have reduced further as more SHO opportunities become available.

Keith Amos (Complaint)

Paul Goodman: To ask the Secretary of State for Health when the complaint made by Keith Amos of Marlow (ref. C200503002) will be referred to a case manager for independent review; and if she will make a statement.

Jane Kennedy: I understand from the chairman of the Healthcare Commission that this complaint was assigned to a case manager on 21 October 2005. The case manager will contact Mr. Amos to discuss the process for the independent review of his complaint.

Liverpool Hospitals (Funding)

Louise Ellman: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what plans she has for additional funding for (a) Liverpool Royal University Hospital and (b) Liverpool Royal Children's Hospital at Alderhey.

Liam Byrne: holding answer 21 October 2005
	Revenue allocations are made to primary care trusts (PCTs) on the basis of the relative needs of their populations. A weighted capitation formula is used to determine each PCTs target share of available resources, to enable them to commission similar levels of health services for populations in similar need.
	It is for PCTs to determine how to use the funding allocated to them to commission services to meet the healthcare needs of their local populations.

Lupus

Lady Hermon: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how much was made available by her Department for research into effective treatment of Lupus in each of the past five years; and if she will increase future funding levels.

Liam Byrne: holding answer 27 October 2005
	The information requested is not available.
	The main part of the Department's expenditure on health research is allocated to, and managed by, national health service organisations. Details of individual projects supported in the NHS, including a significant number concerned with lupus, can be found on the national research register on the Department's website at: www.dh.gov.uk/research.

Lupus

Lady Hermon: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many people were diagnosed with lupus in England in each of the past five years.

Liam Byrne: holding answer 27 October 2005
	We do not collect data on the number of people diagnosed with lupus.
	Estimates suggest the number of new cases per year at 38 per million population.

Lymphoedema

Lady Hermon: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what steps she is taking to ensure all cancer and non-cancer related lymphoedema patients, receive an early diagnosis and a suitable level of care.

Liam Byrne: Patients with lymphoedema are able to access a range of national health service and social care services, tailored to meet their individual needs, to help them manage their condition. It is for health professionals in primary care organisations, in consultation with other stakeholders, to determine which services their populations require and ensure the appropriate level of provision.
	The national service framework (NSF) for long-term conditions, while specifically aimed at people with neurological conditions, is relevant for people with all long-term conditions, including lymphoedema. The NSF addresses a range of key issues including the need for equitable access to a range of services; good quality information and support for patients and carers; the ability to see a specialist and get the right investigations and diagnosis as quickly as possible.

Meningitis

Andrew Rosindell: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many people in (a) Greater London, (b) Essex and (c) Romford have been diagnosed with meningitis in each year since 1997.

Rosie Winterton: Information on the total number of notifications of meningitis, by each cause, and meningococcal septicaemia since 1997 in Greater London, Essex and Havering, which includes Romford, is shown in the table, These notifications are based on clinical diagnosis only, rather than confirmation by laboratory analysis.
	Please note that separate data on the number of cases in Romford is not available.
	
		Statutory NotificationsMeningitis
		
			  Disease Specificity London Havering Eastern Essex 
		
		
			 1997 Meningitis meningococcal 84 5 91 15 
			 1997 Meningitis pneumococcal 31 2 26 4 
			 1997 Meningitis haemophilus influenzae   8 5 
			 1997 Meningitis viral 25 1 20 3 
			 1997 Meningitis other specified 23  25 5 
			 1997 Meningitis unspecified 25 2 25 7 
			 1997 Meningococcal septicaemia  132 15 90 11 
			
			 1998 Meningitis meningococcal 101 3 104 25 
			 1998 Meningitis pneumococcal 29 4 28 5 
			 1998 Meningitis haemophilus influenzae 2  2 2 
			 1998 Meningitis viral 25  28 3 
			 1998 Meningitis other specified 19  16 4 
			 1998 Meningitis unspecified 38  14 5 
			 1998 Meningococcal septicaemia  125 8 100 15 
			
			 1999 Meningitis meningococcal 102  85 11 
			 1999 Meningitis pneumococcal 17 1 30 5 
			 1999 Meningitis haemophilus influenzae 1  1  
			 1999 Meningitis viral 14 2 14 1 
			 1999 Meningitis other specified 8  15 5 
			 1999 Meningitis unspecified 15 1 13 4 
			 1999 Meningococcal septicaemia  135 11 122 22 
			
			 2000 Meningitis meningococcal 95  134 21 
			 2000 Meningitis pneumococcal 11  16  
			 2000 Meningitis haemophilus influenzae 5  5 2 
			 2000 Meningitis viral 36 4 50 6 
			 2000 Meningitis other specified 10  19 3 
			 2000 Meningitis unspecified 26 2 30 7 
			 2000 Meningococcal septicaemia  138 6 118 25 
			
			 2001 Meningitis meningococcal 97 2 75 11 
			 2001 Meningitis pneumococcal 6 1 20  
			 2001 Meningitis haemophilus influenzae 2  4  
			 2001 Meningitis viral 29 2 117 4 
			 2001 Meningitis other specified 21 1 10 2 
			 2001 Meningitis unspecified 46 1 28 5 
			 2001 Meningococcal septicaemia  78 3 97 7 
			 2002 Meningitis meningococcal 49 5 42 1 
			 2002 Meningitis pneumococcal 13 2 16 1 
			 2002 Meningitis haemophilus influenzae 4  10 2 
			 2002 Meningitis viral 8  35  
			 2002 Meningitis other specified 6  12 3 
			 2002 Meningitis unspecified 19  14 1 
			 2002 Meningococcal septicaemia  44 2 54 4 
			
			 2003 Meningitis meningococcal 37 2 53 6 
			 2003 Meningitis pneumococcal 11 1 15  
			 2003 Meningitis haemophilus influenzae   9 2 
			 2003 Meningitis viral 11  23 1 
			 2003 Meningitis other specified 12  9 1 
			 2003 Meningitis unspecified 17 1 12 4 
			 2003 Meningococcal septicaemia  50 2 40 8 
			
			 2004 Meningitis meningococcal 21 2 36 6 
			 2004 Meningitis pneumococcal 9 1 17 2 
			 2004 Meningitis haemophilus influenzae 2  6  
			 2004 Meningitis viral 9 2 29  
			 2004 Meningitis other specified 11  6  
			 2004 Meningitis unspecified 24 1 13 5 
			 2004 Meningococcal septicaemia  23 1 35 4 
		
	
	Note:
	1. Romford (Essex) is within the London borough of Havering (London Region).
	2. Essex (County) is within Eastern Region but does not include Romford (Essex).
	Source:
	Health Protection Agency Centre for Infections Communicable Disease Surveillance Centre.

Myasthenia Gravis

Kelvin Hopkins: To ask the Secretary of State for Health if she will make a statement on hospital waiting times for patients diagnosed with myasthenia gravis.

Liam Byrne: Waiting time data are not available for specific conditions.
	By the end of 2005, the maximum waiting time for first out-patient appointment with a consultant will fall to 13 weeks and the maximum waiting time for in-patient treatment will fall to six months.

NHS Terms of Service

Andrew Lansley: To ask the Secretary of State for Health whether the NHS terms of service require doctors to prescribe treatments whenever they consider a medicine to be necessary.

Jane Kennedy: It is a requirement of their contract with primary care trusts that primary medical services contractors in providing essential services to registered patients should offer consultation and where appropriate physical examination for the purpose of identifying the need, if any, for treatment or further investigation. They should also make available such treatment or further investigation as is necessary and appropriate, including the referral of a patient for other services under the National Health Service Act 1977 and liaison with other health care professionals involved in the patient's treatment and care.
	Whether or not any treatment includes the prescribing of medicines or drugs is a matter of clinical judgment.

NICE (Drug Approvals)

Richard Taylor: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many new drugs are (a) under appraisal and (b) awaiting appraisal by the National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence for the treatment of (i) malignant disease and (ii) other diseases.

Jane Kennedy: I understand from the National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence that they have 63 appraisals in progress, and 19 of these are for cancer drugs. In addition, there are two cancer drugs awaiting appraisal.

NICE (Drug Approvals)

Owen Paterson: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many drugs approved by the EU Committee for Medicinal Products for Human Use are being assessed by the Department prior to referral to the National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence.

Jane Kennedy: The Department does not assess drugs.
	However, the Department is considering referring to the National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence a number of drugs approved by the European Union committee for medicinal products for human use so that their clinical and cost effectiveness may be determined.

Pensioner Health Services

David Laws: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what recent estimate she has made of the average annual cost of providing NHS health services to someone over state pension age; and if she will make a statement.

Liam Byrne: Around 43 per cent. of the national health service hospital and community health services expenditure in 200304 was on people over the age of 65. This totalled around 16.5 billion.
	A breakdown of the same data by age group shows the following:
	1,400 average expenditure per head for people aged 6574.
	2,400 average expenditure per head for people aged 7584.
	4,000 average expenditure per head for people aged 85 and over.

Perinatal Deaths

David Amess: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many perinatal deaths there were in each of the last 15 years for which figures are available; what are the most common causes of perinatal deaths; and what steps she is taking to reduce the number of perinatal deaths.

Liam Byrne: Perinatal deaths include stillbirths and deaths under one week. These data are shown in the table.
	
		Perinatal deaths (stillbirths and deaths within the first week of life) 19902004: England and Wales
		
			   Number of stillbirths(36) Number of deaths under one week (early neonatal) 
		
		
			 1990 3,256 2,498 
			 1991 3,254 2,396 
			 1992 2,944 2,294 
			 1993 3,866 2,178 
			 1994 3,816 2,142 
			 1995 3,597 2,104 
			 1996 3,539 2,066 
			 1997 3,439 1,941 
			 1998 3,417 1,844 
			 1999 3,305 1,833 
			 2000 3,203 1,753 
			 2001 3,159 1,598 
			 2002 3,372 1,620 
			 2003 3,585 1,749 
			 2004 3,532 1,722 
		
	
	(36) On 1 October 1992 the legal definition of a stillbirth was changed from a baby born dead after 28 or more weeks completed gestation to one born dead after 24 or more weeks completed gestation. This means that perinatal and stillbirth data for 2004 can be compared with data only from 1993 onwards.
	Source:
	Office for National Statistics.
	Causes of stillbirths and early neonatal deaths differ significantly. Causes in stillbirths during 2003 are attributed as follows: 48 per cent. were of uncertain cause, 28 per cent. due to asphyxia, anoxia or trauma (antepartum), 14 per cent. were due to congenital anomalies. The remainder were due to antepartum infections, asphyxia, anoxia or trauma (intrapartum) or other specific conditions. Of the early neonatal deaths, 62 per cent. were due to immaturity related conditions, 23 per cent. were due to congenital anomalies, 10 per cent. due to asphyxia, anoxia or trauma (intrapartum) and the remainder due to antepartum infections or other specific causes.
	We are committed to reducing, by 2010, the gap in infant mortality between routine and manual groupsas defined in national statistics socio-economic classificationand the population as a whole, by at least 10 per cent.
	Comprehensive maternity services are key to providing best outcome. The Government signalled their commitment to maternity services by introducing the maternity standard of the national service framework (NSF) for children, young people and maternity services in September 2004 and by bringing forward to 2009 the NSF's target to give all women choice in where and how they have their baby and what pain relief to use, and to have the support of a named midwife. An implementation advisory group of key stakeholders has been established to help take this forward.
	The decline in early neonatal deaths is associated with advances in technology and the capability of the neonatal services to improve outcomes for the smallest, sickest babies. We have invested 20 million additional capital and 20 million recurrent revenue funding to further improve access to, and the capability of neonatal services.
	The confidential inquiry into maternal and child health, which collects information on deaths from 22 weeks gestation to 28 days of life, will publish annual reports on perinatal mortality. In addition, hospitals will receive individualised reports to enable them to compare their own mortality rates over time.

Rehabilitation Services

John Baron: To ask the Secretary of State for Health 
	(1)  what steps she is taking to increase the number of fully qualified rehabilitation workers for visually impaired people;
	(2)  what steps she is taking to increase consistency in rehabilitation services provided for visually impaired people living in different parts of England.

Liam Byrne: holding answers 21 October 2005
	Rehabilitation services for blind and partially sighted people are provided by local health and social care bodies. It is for those organisations to commission appropriate services based on local need. This would include the number, training and composition of teams available to provide rehabilitation for blind and partially sighted people.

Risk Sharing Scheme

Paul Burstow: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what evaluation she plans to carry out of the results of the risk sharing scheme for beta interferon and glatiramer acetate treatments.

Liam Byrne: Ongoing evaluation has been an integral part of the scheme from its inception. The first evaluation is due around summer 2007.

School Nurses

David Drew: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what steps she is taking to recruit school nurses.

Liam Byrne: The Department is committed to providing new funding so that by 2010, every primary care trust, working with children's trusts and local authorities, will be resourced to have at least one full-time, year-round, qualified school nurse working with each cluster or group of primary schools and the related secondary school.
	The Department understands that school nurses have an important and central role to play in tackling health issues among children and younger people, such as obesity, exercise, smoking prevention and cessation and sexual and emotional health.
	The Chief Nursing Officer is leading the development and promotion of a new modern role for school nurses and many school nurses are already modernising their roles and playing a key role in initiatives such as Healthy Schools and preventing teenage pregnancy. The NHS improvement plan and the nursing strategy, Making a Difference, also point towards an expanded role for school nurses, and a three-year school nurse development programme is currently being updated to ensure school nurses remain a dynamic workforce who are able to contribute to good outcomes for children and young people.

Social Care Services

John Baron: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what steps she is taking to expand the role of the independent and voluntary sectors in providing social care services.

Liam Byrne: holding answer 21 October 2005
	A task force, co-chaired by Jo Williams (chief executive of Mencap) and myself has been set up to strengthen the commercial relationship between the voluntary and community sector and the national health service and social care services. The task force will identify how to break down the barriers that prevent third sector organisations including the voluntary sector and not for profit social businesses having a much greater involvement in delivering person centred health and social care services. The task force will report on their interim conclusions by the end of November 2005.

Specialist Nurses

Anne Milton: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what representations she has received in the past 12 months about the number of specialist epilepsy nurses employed by the NHS.

Liam Byrne: The Department have received a small number of inquiries about specialist epilepsy nurses employed in the national health service.

TREASURY

Business Meetings

Vincent Cable: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what percentage of external business meetings of staff in his Department have been carried out (a) face-to-face, (b) via video conferencing and (c) over the telephone in each of the last five years for which records are available.

John Healey: Since January 2005, HM Treasury has had in place a formal system for recording numbers of external meetings across the Department. No central records are held prior to that date.
	For the period 1 January to 1 October 2005 a total of 2,733 meetings were recorded, of which 99 per cent. were face-to-face meetings and 1 per cent. were carried out by telephone. HM Treasury holds no central records for the number of meetings which made use of video conferencing.

Capital Gains Tax

Vincent Cable: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what steps he is taking to prevent avoidance of capital gains tax; and if he will make a statement.

Dawn Primarolo: This Government are committed to countering tax avoidance (including the avoidance of capital gains tax) and keeps all aspects of the tax legislation under review acting where we find significant abuse of the rules.

Carbon Management Programme

Norman Lamb: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer whether his Department will sign up to the Carbon Trust's Carbon Management programme.

John Healey: The Treasury entered into a framework agreement for partnership arrangements with the Carbon Trust in May 2004. A report was produced following an investigation of the Department's carbon management approach. That investigation followed the Carbon Trust's five step management programme.

Child Benefit (Hemel Hempstead)

Michael Penning: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer how many people in the constituency of Hemel Hempstead have received child benefit in each year since 1997.

John Healey: Figures below the geographical level of Great Britain are not available for periods prior to August 1999.
	Figures for August 1999 to August 2004 are available on the Office for National Statistics Neighbourhood Statistics website: http://neighbourhood.statistics.gov.uk/dissemina tion/datasetList.do?JSAIIowed=Function=%24ph= 60CurrentPageld=60step=1CurrentTreeIndex=-1searchString=datasetFamilyld=215Next.x=4Ne xt.y=13

Civil Service Jobs

Ian Gibson: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what assessment he has made of the merits of movement of civil service jobs to Norwich; and what criteria will be used to make decisions about relocation.

Des Browne: The Government are committed to relocating 20,000 civil servants out of London and the south east by 2010. Budget 2005 reported that over 4,300 posts have already been moved out of London and the south east. 11 Office of Government Commerce and HM Treasury posts and 12 HMSO posts are currently known to be relocating to Norwich. Individual Departments are responsible for deciding on sites for relocation, but they must do so taking into account both their business needs and local economic factors, as set out in central guidance, Choosing Locations for Government Business.
	As part of this policy the Government have set a presumption against relocating public sector activities to the east of England Government office region. Moves to the east of England that had not been planned before the introduction of this policy in December 2004 require HM Treasury approval.

Civil Service Jobs

Stephen Hammond: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer in which Government Departments the reductions of 12,500 civil servant posts announced in the 2005 Budget will take place.

Andrew Rosindell: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer pursuant to the answer of 18 October 2005, Official Report, column 932W, on civil service personnel, if he will break down the figure of 12,500 reduced civil service posts by Department.

Sharon Hodgson: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what assessment he has made of the progress of Government Departments towards achieving the target reduction in posts set in the 2004 Budget and spending review.

Des Browne: In Budget 2005 the Chancellor announced that Departments have delivered the first 12,500 reduction in civil service posts, towards the Government's planned gross reduction of 84,000 civil service posts by 2008. This includes:
	
		
			  Number 
		
		
			 Department for Work and Pensions Over 8,250 
			 HM Revenue and Customs 1,250 
			 Department for Health 700 
			 Department of Trade and Industry 560 
			 Department for Education and Skills 450 
			 Department for Food, Environment and Rural Affairs 320 
			 Ministry of Defence 300 
		
	
	Departments will report on further progress in their autumn performance reports.

Climate Change Levy

Bill Wiggin: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what assessment he has made of the impact of the Climate Change Levy (Miscellaneous Amendments) Regulations 2005 on the revenue raised by the Climate Change Levy.

John Healey: The Climate Change Levy (Miscellaneous Amendment) Regulations 2005, came into force on the 22 July 2005 and do not affect the total amount of revenue raised by the levy. They are primarily concerned with the simplification of correcting under or over-claimed relief by energy users, and to further support the Government's commitment to combined heat and power generation.

Company Tax Credits

Vincent Cable: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what estimate he has made of the cost to public funds of each company tax credit in each year from 200405 to 200910; and if he will make a statement.

John Healey: The estimated cost of research and development tax credits, vaccines research relief and the remediation of contaminated land are given in the table.
	
		 million
		
			  Research and development tax credits Vaccines research relief Remediation of contaminated land 
		
		
			 200405 680 20 20 
			 200506 710 20 20 
			 200607 770 20 20 
			 200708 800 20 30 
			 200809 850 20 30 
			 200910 900 20 30 
		
	
	Note:
	Figures are on a receipts basis and rounded to the nearest 10 million.

Contaminated Land Tax Credit

Vincent Cable: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer how many companies (a) are under investigation and (b) have been investigated for mis-claiming contaminated land tax credit in each year since its introduction; and if he will make a statement.

John Healey: The information requested is not available.

Contaminated Land Tax Credit

Vincent Cable: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what estimate he has made of the administration costs of contaminated land tax credit in each year since their introduction; and if he will make a statement.

John Healey: The information requested is not available.

Corporation Tax

Philip Hammond: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what plans he has to change the timing of corporation tax payments for small and medium companies.

John Healey: As a matter of course, the Government keep all taxes under review, and any changes to taxation are announced as part of the normal Budget cycle.

Court of Auditors

Christopher Huhne: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what steps he is taking to encourage the European Commission (a) to improve budget accountability and (b) to enable the EU Court of Auditors to approve the annual accounts.

Ivan Lewis: The United Kingdom presidency has prepared draft conclusions to be agreed at ECOFIN in November, in response to the Commission's Communication On a Roadmap to an Integrated Internal Control Framework. The conclusions will require the Commission to prepare an action plan to fill gaps in internal control; to assess compliance with regulations; and to assess the effectiveness of present controls. These actions, in addition to those proposed for member states, should improve financial management and control and ultimately achieve the objective of a positive Statement of Assurance from the European Court of Auditors. But this will take time.

Court of Auditors

Christopher Huhne: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what assessment he has made of progress in reforming EU budget procedures towards enabling the accounts to be signed off by the EU Court of Auditors.

Ivan Lewis: Many improvements have been made during the past few years, including the revision of the Financial Regulation, the introduction of the Integrated Administration and Control System in Agriculture, the annual certification of payments in agriculture by member states, and the annual activity reports by Commission Directorate-Generals, which include declarations of assurance. But there is still much more to do and that is why the United Kingdom presidency has taken forward the response to the Commission's Communication On a Roadmap to an Integrated Internal Control Framework by preparing draft conclusions for the November ECOFIN Council, outlining actions which could ultimately achieve the objective of a positive Statement of Assurance from the European Court of Auditors.

Defence Expenditure

James Arbuthnot: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what percentage of the UK's gross domestic product has been spent on defence in each of the past five years; what he forecasts this percentage to be in each of the next three years; and if he will make a statement.

Des Browne: Defence expenditure as a proportion of the UK's gross domestic product over the past five years, with and without the costs of military operations, is as follows:
	
		
			  Percentage GDP including military operations Percentage GDP excluding military operations 
		
		
			 200001 2.6 2.5 
			 200102 2.4 2.4 
			 200203 2.5 2.3 
			 200304 2.4 2.3 
			 200405 2.4 2.3 
		
	
	The Government's planned defence expenditure over the next three years was set in the 2004 spending review. It represents 1.4 per cent. average annual real terms growth in defence expenditure over the three years to 200708 which taken together with the resources allocated in the 2000 and 2002 spending reviews, represents seven consecutive years of planned real-terms growth, the longest such period for over 20 years. Planned defence expenditure as a percentage of forecast GDP is as follows:
	
		
			  Forecast percentage GDP excluding military operations 
		
		
			 200506 2.2 
			 200607 2.2 
			 200708 2.2

Departmental Consultation

Peter Ainsworth: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer if he will list formal consultations being sponsored by his Department and its agencies; and what the (a) commencement date and (b) deadline for responses is in each case.

John Healey: The following, formal consultations, are currently being undertaken by the Chancellor's Departments:
	
		
			  Department/agency  Consultation subject Consultation commencement  Deadline for responses 
		
		
			 HM Treasury Proposed changes to the eligibility rules for establishing a pension scheme 30 September 2005 23 December 2005 
			 HM Treasury The Reform of Film Tax Incentives: promoting the sustainable production of culturally British films 29 July 2005 21 October 2005 
			 HM Revenue and Customs VAT: A review of the scope of the VAT exemption for medical services 1 September 2005 16 December 2005 
			 HM Revenue and Customs Proposed changes to the eligibility rules for establishing a pension scheme 30 September 2005 23 December 2005 
			 Government Actuary's Department Proposed assumptions for calculating national insurance rebates for contracted-out pension arrangements for the five years from April 2007 19 September 2005 12 December 2005 
			 Office of National Statistics Economic consultation on National Accounts Manuals being updated 7 September 2004 31 December 2005

Departmental Spending

David Davies: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer how much the Department spent on items of art in 200405.

John Healey: HM Treasury did not purchase any items of art during 200405.

Departmental Travel

Vincent Cable: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer 
	(1)  what percentage of business journeys taken by staff in his Department were by (a) private and (b) public transport in each of the last five years for which records are available;
	(2)  how many business journeys taken by staff in his Department were (a) by motorised vehicles, (b) by aircraft, (c) by train or tube, (d) by bicycle and (e) on foot in each of the last five years for which records are available;
	(3)  what percentage of business journeys taken by staff in his Department were made using (a) standard and (b) first or business class tickets in each of the last five years for which records are available.

John Healey: HM Treasury do not keep a central record of the type and number of individual journeys made. An answer could be provided only at disproportionate cost.

Enterprise Management Incentives

Vincent Cable: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer 
	(1)  what his estimate is of the total revenue cost of introducing enterprise management incentives in the March 2000 Budget to allow smaller high risk companies to issue the tax-advantaged share options to key staff in each year from 200001 to 200910; what assessment has been made of the economic effects of this scheme; and if he will make a statement;
	(2)  what the total cost of the Enterprise Management Incentive (a) has been in each year since 200102 and (b) is expected to be in each year to 200910; what assessment has been made of the effects of this scheme; and if he will make a statement.

John Healey: National Statistics giving the estimated income tax relief cost of Enterprise Management Incentives (EMI) have been published on HM Revenue and Customs (HMRC) website for 200001 to 200304. A forecast of the income tax and national insurance contributions relief cost of EMI for 200405 was first published in the Tax Ready Reckoner at pre-Budget report 2004. No longer-term forecasts have been made. Income tax and national insurance relief is given on the gains employees make when they exercise EMI options. The published figures together with national insurance contribution relief estimates for 200001 to 200304 are:
	
		
			  Income tax National insurance Total 
		
		
			 Estimates
			 200001 neg neg neg 
			 200102 neg neg neg 
			 200203 50 10 60 
			 200304 50 10 60 
			 Forecast
			 200405 60 10 70 
		
	
	An evaluation programme has begun which aims to assess the economic impact and cost-effectiveness of EMI against its stated policy objectives of helping smaller higher risk companies to recruit and retain the people they need to grow and succeed.
	Take-up of EMI has been strong, with 5,944 companies having granted options over 1.3 billion in shares to 75,000 employees by 200405. Some initial qualitative research among companies using EMI has also been completed, which suggests that it is working well in helping to meet their business needs. This was commissioned from external research contractors as part of the HMRC research programme. The research report is available on the HMRC website.

Enterprise Management Incentives

Vincent Cable: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what his latest estimate is of the cost of reducing the minimum holding period for (a) investments under the Enterprise Investment Scheme and (b) venture capital trusts in each year from 200001 to 200910; what economic effects have resulted from these changes; and if he will make a statement.

John Healey: When these changes were introduced the cost was forecast to be 5 million in 200001, 15 million in 200102, 25 million in 200203 and 30 million thereafter. These costs are still our current best estimates, although the corresponding figures for 200405 and 200506 will be slightly higher due to the enhanced tax incentives introduced for VCTs during this period.
	Regarding the economic benefits, I refer the hon. Member to the answer given on 15 September 2003, Official Report, column 599W by my right hon. Friend the Paymaster General to the hon. Member for Yeovil (Mr. Laws).

Fuel Oil Tax (Northern Ireland)

Peter Robinson: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer how much revenue was received in total from the duty on the sale of fuel and diesel in Northern Ireland in each of the last five years.

John Healey: Excise duty receipts for Hydrocarbon Oils are included in Table 3 of the HM Revenue and Customs statistical Bulletin for Hydrocarbon Oils, which can be found on HM Revenue and Customs website address at: http://www.uktradeinfo.co.uk/index.cfm?task=bullhydro
	HM Revenue and Customs does not hold regional oil receipts data centrally.

Gershon Review

Vincent Cable: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer how many full-time equivalent employee reductions have been made as a result of the Gershon review; what (a) cost savings relating to IT projects and (b) total value of efficiency savings (i) were achieved in 200405 and (ii) are expected to be achieved in 200506; and if he will make a statement.

Des Browne: In Budget 2005 the Chancellor reported that Departments have delivered the first 12,500 reduction in civil service posts and achieved 2 billion of efficiency gains in 200405, and Departments will be reporting further progress in their Autumn Performance Reports.
	It is expected that by 200708, Departments will be achieving annual efficiency gains of 21 billion, but there is no intermediate target for 200506. The Transactions Workstream of the Efficiency Programme, which is improving interactions between citizens and the Government through IT-enabled change programmes, will contribute annual efficiencies of 1 billion by 200708. Many other efficiency gains will also be enabled by IT. Departmental plans to achieve the 2004 Spending Review targets are set out in Efficiency Technical Notes, which are available on departmental and HM Treasury websites.

Government Expenditure (Wales)

Betty Williams: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer how much public money has been spent in Wales by the UK Government in each of the last five years.

Des Browne: Chapter 8 of the annual Treasury publication Public Expenditure Statistical Analyses details expenditure on services in the regions and countries of the United Kingdom. Total identifiable spending in Wales for the years 19992000 to 200405 is contained within table 8.1 of the 2005 edition of PESA.

Industrial Wage

Gregory Campbell: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what is the average industrial weekly wage in (a) England and Wales and (b) Northern Ireland.

John Healey: The information requested falls within the responsibility of the National Statistician who has been asked to reply.
	Letter from Karen Dunnell to Mr. Gregory Campbell, dated 1 November 2005
	As National Statistician, I have been asked to reply to your recent Parliamentary Question asking what the average industrial wage in (a) England and Wales (b) Northern Ireland is in 2005. (22852)
	Currently average earnings are estimated from the Annual Survey of Hours and Earnings (ASHE), and are provided for full time employees on adult rates of pay whose pay was unaffected by absence during the pay period. This is the standard definition used for ASHE. The ASHE does not collect data on the self employed and people who do unpaid work.
	Data for 2005 will not be published until 10 November 2005. I will forward the appropriate data to you after this date.

International Finance Facility

Vincent Cable: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what assessment he has made of the implications for public finances of counting the International Finance Facility as Government borrowing; and if he will make a statement.

John Healey: The Treasury will formally approach the Office of National Statistics (ONS) on the classification in National Accounts of UK contributions to an International Finance Facility (IFF) when its final technical details and governance structure have been agreed.
	In the case of the pilot IFF for Immunisation (IFFIM), Eurostat, the Statistical Office of the European Communities, decided on 2 August that:
	The borrowing of IFFIM should be considered as the borrowing of a non-government unit, and not as the borrowing or debt of donor countries

Literacy and Numeracy

Nick Gibb: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer 
	(1)  what steps he is taking to promote uptake of the national tests in adult literacy and numeracy among employees of his Department;
	(2)  how many employees in his Department requested training to improve their (a) literacy and (b) numeracy skills in each year since 2002;
	(3)  how much his Department spent on in-house training on (a) literacy and (b) numeracy (i) in total and (ii) per head in each year since 2002.

John Healey: Basic literacy and numeracy are the minimum entry-level requirements for the most junior positions within HM Treasury and no staff have requested basic literacy or numeracy training since 2002. Consequently, only higher level training is provided and it has not been appropriate for us to promote uptake of the national tests in adult literacy and numeracy skills for Treasury employees or to provide in-house training in basic literacy and numeracy.

Lyons Review

Vincent Cable: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer how many people in his Department were relocated in 200405 as a result of the Lyons review of public sector relocation, broken down by location; to which locations they have been relocated; how many are expected to be relocated in 200506; and if he will make a statement.

Des Browne: HMRC are committed to moving 4,250 posts from London and the South East by 2010 and are making good progress towards this total.
	The Office of Government Commerce (an independent office of HM Treasury) relocated two posts from London to Norwich in 200405. So far in 200506 it has relocated four posts to Norwich, with one further move proposed before the end of this year. OGCbuying.solutions (an OGC agency) will also relocate 15 posts from London to Liverpool by April 2006.

Milton Keynes

Phyllis Starkey: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer how much funding was allocated by his Department to Milton Keynes for (a) capital projects and (b) revenue funding in each of the last five years.

John Healey: The Treasury allocates resources to Departments to fund their policy objectives. The location where the funds are spent is a matter for Departments to decide. Chapter 8 of Public Expenditure Statistical Analysis shows the outturn of public expenditure by region.

Ministerial Cars

Vincent Cable: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer how many ministerial cars have been supplied to his Department by the Government Car and Despatch Agency Service in each of the last five years for which records are available.

John Healey: The Government Car service has supplied six cars to the Treasury, in each of the last five years.

Office for National Statistics

Katy Clark: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer how many consultants employed by the Office for National Statistics were paid 50,000 or above in the last financial year.

John Healey: The information requested falls within the responsibility of the national statistician, who has been asked to reply.
	Letter from Karen Dunnell to Ms Katy Clark, dated 1 November 2005
	As National Statistician, I have been asked to reply to your recent Parliamentary Question concerning, how many consultants employed by the Office for National Statistics earned 50,000 or above in the last financial year. (23160).
	In 200405, the Office for National Statistics paid 28 companies more than 50,000 for consultancy, contractors and other bought-in expertise. The bulk of these payments was for IT contracting services to support major development programmes such as Neighbourhood Statistics and Statistical and Technological modernisation.
	It has not been possible to ascertain from these companies how many consultants or contractors were used and whether any individual earned in excess of 50,000.

Office for National Statistics

Katy Clark: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer how many staff in the Office for National Statistics were affected by the increase in the minimum wage on 1 October.

John Healey: The information requested falls within the responsibility of the National Statistician, who has been asked to reply.
	Letter from Karen Dunnell to Ms Katy Clark, dated 1 November 2005
	As National Statistician, I have been asked to reply to your recent Parliamentary Question concerning how many staff in the Office for National Statistics were affected by the increase in the minimum wage on 1st October. (23161)
	I can confirm that the Office for National Statistics (ONS) had 167 staff for whom action needed to be taken in respect of the minimum wage. However, it should be noted that our pay award date is 1 August; pay negotiations are continuing, but had our pay award been implemented on the due date, no staff in ONS would have fallen below the minimum wage.

Office for National Statistics

Katy Clark: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer how much was spent on consultants by the Office for National Statistics in each of the financial years from 199697 to 200405.

John Healey: The information requested falls within the responsibility of the National Statistician, who has been asked to reply.
	Letter from Karen Dunnell to Ms Katy Clark, dated 1 November 2005
	As National Statistician, I have been asked to reply to your recent Parliamentary Question concerning how much was spent on consultants by the Office for National Statistics in each financial year from 199697 to 200405. (23163)
	The breakdown of expenditure on consultants, contractors and other bought-in expertise by financial year is shown in the table below.
	
		
			  000 
		
		
			 199697 n/a 
			 199798 n/a 
			 199899 3,230 
			 19992000 4,048 
			 200001 4,473 
			 200102 4,286 
			 200203 6,729 
			 200304 11,761 
			 200405 27,118 
		
	
	Information relating to the years 199697 and 199798 is not readily available.
	The sharp increase in expenditure from 200203 is in respect of the major development programmes of work being undertaken by the Office for National Statistics e.g. Neighbourhood Statistics, Statistical and Technology Modernisation. Most of this expenditure relates to IT systems expertise. Nearly 3 million of the 200405 expenditure related to Valued Added Tax, which ceased to be reclaimable during this year.

PFI Schemes

Peter Law: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what assessment he has made of the effects on the (a) Welsh economy and (b) Blaenau Gwent of the use of private finance initiative schemes.

John Healey: The Treasury has not completed such an assessment on the geographic areas specified. It is the responsibility of a procuring authority to ensure that its PFI project continues to deliver value for money over its life, and this will include an assessment of whether it is delivering the services and benefits anticipated. To date, PFI schemes in Wales have provided investment in areas such as schools, roads, police facilities, prisons and health.

Research and Development

Vincent Cable: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what proportion of (a) vaccines research relief, (b) contaminated land tax credit and (c) research and development tax credits has been claimed by each type of industry in each year for which information is available, broken down by company size; and if he will make a statement.

John Healey: The proportion of claims made for the remediation of contaminated land each year by the standard industrial classification reported in the company's annual accounts is given in the following table. The table shows the industry sectors that have generated the most claims, ranked with the sector with the most claims first. Information is not available by size of company.
	
		Proportion of claims for remediation of contaminated land by industry
		
			  200102 200203 200304 200405 All claims 
		
		
			 Real estate, renting and business activities 40% 43% 52% 41% 46% 
			 Construction 6% 16% 18% 26% 17% 
			 Wholesale and retail trade 23% 17% 10% 15% 14% 
			 Manufacturing 12% 11% 10% 8% 10% 
			 Other community, social and personal services 9% 7% 6% 5% 7% 
			 Other 11% 7% 4% 5% 6% 
			 Total 100% 100% 100% 100% 100% 
			 Number of claims 260 410 730 315 1,715 
		
	
	The information requested is not available for research and development tax credits and vaccines research relief.

Research and Development

Vincent Cable: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer how many companies (a) are under investigation and (b) have been investigated for mis-claiming (i) vaccines research relief and (ii) research and development tax credits in each year since the introduction of each; and if he will make a statement.

John Healey: The information requested is not available.

Research and Development

Vincent Cable: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what estimate he has made of the administration costs of (a) vaccines research relief and (b) research and development tax credits in each year since the introduction of each; and if he will make a statement.

John Healey: The information requested is not available.

Tax Credits

David Laws: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer how many tax credit awards ceased on 31 August; how many new awards started on 1 September; for what reason tax credit awards must be re-applied for when a child leaves school at 16 years and moves into further education; and what assessment he has made of the administrative cost of the process of re-application for these claimants.

Dawn Primarolo: There is no need to re-claim tax credits when a 16-year-old continues into further, full-time, non-advanced education provided HM Revenue and Customs is notified before 1 September. If a claimant fails to notify, their award is adjusted from 1 September.
	However, providing HMRC is subsequently notified that the 16-year-old will be continuing in full-time education, the award will be readjusted and the restored award backdated for a maximum of three months.

Tax Credits

Margaret Moran: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what proportion of small and medium-sized enterprises were eligible for research and development tax credits in the last five years; and what the take-up was in (a) Luton and (b) the UK.

John Healey: The National Statistics estimate is that there were 4.3 million small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) in the UK in 2004 (defined as those with up to 250 employees). Research and Development (RD) tax credits are only available to companies conducting eligible RD. Of the 4.3 million SMEs, around one million were companies and thus potentially eligible for the tax credits. However, the vast majority of SMEs do not carry out RD. Of those that do, some will not meet the special SME definition which applies for RD tax credits, and others may not spend more than the 10,000 per annum required on qualifying RD.
	The Regulatory Impact Assessment for the SME RD tax credit (published in March 2000) estimated that 4,500 companies would be eligible for the tax credit.
	Information on the number of claims received for the SME RD tax credit since it was introduced are published as National Statistics on the HMRC website at: http://www.hmrc.gov.uk/stats/corporate_tax/randdtcmenu.htm.
	The information requested for Luton is not available.

Taxation (Wales)

Betty Williams: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer how much has been raised through taxation from the residents of Wales in each of the last five years.

Des Browne: The information on income tax is provided in the following table.
	
		
			   billion 
			  Amount of tax paid by residents in Wales 
		
		
			 2001 -02(37) 3.4 
			 200203(38) 3.6 
			 200304(39) 3.9 
			 200405(39) 4.1 
			 200506(39) 4.4 
		
	
	(37) Based on the 200102 Survey of Personal Incomes (SPI)
	(38) Based on the 200203 SPI
	(39) Based on the 200203 SPI and projected forwards in line with Budget 2005 assumptions.

Undeclared Work

John Hayes: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what recent estimate he has made of the value of undeclared work in the United Kingdom.

John Healey: There is no estimate of the value of undeclared work in the United Kingdom.

Unemployment (Hemel Hempstead)

Michael Penning: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what changes in the level of unemployment there have been in Hemel Hempstead constituency in each year since 2003.

John Healey: The information requested falls within the responsibility of the national statistician, who has been asked to reply.
	Letter from Karen Dunnell to Mr. Michael Penning, dated 1 November 2005
	As National Statistician, I have been asked to reply to your Parliamentary Question about unemployment. (23022).
	Table 1, attached, shows the total numbers of unemployed people who were resident in the Hemel Hempstead Parliamentary Constituency. The table covers the 12 month periods ending in February each year from 2003 to 2004 and the 12 month period ending in March 2005. These estimates, as with any from sample surveys, are subject to sampling variability.
	The Office for National Statistics also compiles statistics for local areas of people claiming Jobseeker's Allowance. Table 2, attached, shows the numbers and changes on year for claimants resident in the Hemel Hempstead constituency for each September from 2002 to 2005.
	The data are published on the Office for National Statistics's Nomis(r) website: www.nomisweb.co.uk
	
		Table 1: Number of unemployed, resident in the Hemel Hempstead constituency
		
			  Thousand 
			 12 months ending Level 
		
		
			 February 2003 2 
			 February 2004 2 
			 March 2005 2 
		
	
	* Disclosive sample size (less than three).
	Notes:
	1. The estimates for local areas are based on very small sample sizes and are subject to a very high degree of sampling variability.
	2. Changes from year to year, especially, should be treated with caution.
	Source:
	Annual local area Labour Force Survey; Annual Population Survey.
	
		Table 2: JSA claimants resident in the Hemel Hempstead constituency
		
			 September Level Change on year 
		
		
			 2002 1,035  
			 2003 1,116 81 
			 2004 1,090 -26 
			 2005 1,212 122 
		
	
	Source:
	Jobcentre Plus Administrative system.

Vehicle Excise Duty

Christopher Huhne: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer on what evidence he relied in deciding on the thresholds for carbon emissions on which vehicle excise duty is graduated.

John Healey: The Chancellor considers all relevant economic, social and environmental factors when setting taxation policy.

EDUCATION AND SKILLS

Adult and Family Learning

Helen Jones: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills what funds she plans to make available for adult and family learning in schools as proposed in her recent White Paper.

Beverley Hughes: Between 2006 and 2008 my Department is making available 680 million through local authorities and schools to support schools to develop a core set of extended services which will include adult and family learning. In addition we are making 210 million available in 200607 through the Learning and Skills Council for adults' learning for personal and community development. This includes 37 million specifically for family learning including the family literacy, language and numeracy programme. Many such courses and programmes will take place in schools.

Adult and Family Learning

Bob Spink: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills what the level of funding for adult education in Essex was in each of the last five years; and what it is estimated to be for the current year.

Phil Hope: The Department allocates funds for education and training in the post-16 learning and skills sector, including adult education, to the Learning and Skills Council (LSC). The LSC was established in 2001 bringing the planning and funding of post-16 education together under one body.
	In 200102 the Learning and Skills Council spent 2,236 million on adult programmes including FE, Work Based Learning, Adult and Community Learning and other programmes. This increased to 2,427 million in 200203 and to 2,866 million in 200304. These figures are available in the LSC's published accounts. Figures for adult education for the years prior to 2001 are not comparable as the budget was split between a range of different organisations.
	My Department does not hold funding figures for adult education in Essex. As the allocation of funding in local areas relates to the LSC's operational responsibilities, I have asked the LSC's Chief Executive, Mary Haysom, to write to the hon. Member with the information requested. A copy of his reply will be placed in the Library.
	Letter from Mark Haysom to Mr. Bob Spink, dated 25 October 2005
	Further to Mr Phil Hope's written reply to your Parliamentary Question (no. 18791) about funding for adult education in Essex, I am pleased to supply the specific information for Essex.
	The figures are for the Essex County Council administrative area only and are for learning programmes delivered by Essex County Council's Adult Community Learning service (they exclude figures for the unitary authority areas of Southend on Sea and Thurrock, which also fall within the responsibility of LSC Essex). The figures relate to the LSC's funding streams:
	Adult and Community Learning
	Further Education
	Additional Learning Support
	Learners Support Fund.
	The figures are:
	
		
			   
		
		
			 2002/03 9,850,481 
			 2003/04 11,074,670 
			 2004/05 11,973,567 
			 2005/06 (40)1,121,726 
		
	
	(40) Estimated.
	I trust that this is the information that you require and that you will find it helpful.

CAFCASS

Annette Brooke: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills what is the allocated training budget per employee of the Children and Family Court Advisory and Support Service in 200506; and how much was spent on training per employee in each of the two preceding financial years.

Maria Eagle: holding answer 27 October 2005
	This is a matter for the Children and Family Court Advisory and Support Service (CAFCASS). Anthony Douglas, the CAFCASS chief executive, will write to the hon. Member with this information and a copy of his reply will be placed in the House Library.

CAFCASS

Tim Loughton: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills if she will make a statement on the vacancy rate in the Children and Family Court Advisory and Support Service.

Maria Eagle: This is a matter for the Children and Family Court Advisory and Support Service (CAFCASS). Anthony Douglas, the CAFCASS chief executive, will write to the hon. Member with this information and a copy of his reply will be placed in the House Library.

Child Care

Chris Ruane: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills how many child care places were available in each of the past 30 years.

Beverley Hughes: We are unable to provide figures for the period requested other than at disproportionate cost. Details of the number of child care places available in England for each year between 1990 and 2005 are given as follows.
	(a) Figures from day care facilities surveys, 19902001
	
		
			  Total number of child care places Childminders Full day care Out of school/holiday clubs Sessional care 
		
		
			 198990 303,100 205,600 97,500 No figures 416,400 
			 199091 339,400 233,300 106,100 No figures 428,400 
			 199192 390,900 254,300 116,800 19,800 414,500 
			 199293 469,533 300,700 133,800 35,033 396,900 
			 199394 549,300 357,500 147,600 44,200 411,300 
			 199495 614,000 373,600 161,500 78,900 410,600 
			 199596 646,467 376,200 178,300 91,967 397,700 
			 199697 654,900 365,200 193,800 95,900 383,700 
			 199798 709,967 370,700 223,000 116,267 383,600 
			 199899 767,233 336,600 247,700 182,933 347,200 
			 19992000 794,967 320,400 264,200 210,367 353,100 
			 200001 838,800 304,600 285,100 249,100 330,200 
		
	
	(b) Using data from
	i. 19972003: Ofsted registered equivalent statistics generated by Sure Start Unit from local authority returns
	ii. 2003present: Ofsted registrations
	
		
			  Total child care places Childminders Full daycare Out of school/holiday clubs Sessional care 
		
		
			 199697 637730 309,973 283,975 43,782  
			 199798 643,736 309,918 283,823 48,995  
			 199899 688,412 309,423 299,078 79,911  
			 19992000 746,719 304,926 316,021 125,772  
			 200001 821,537 300,263 337,004 184,270  
			 200102 892,726 307,485 358,371 226,870  
			 200203 967,821 300,883 381,550 285,388 280,779 
			 200304 1,102,686 319,689 456,298 326,699 274,135 
			 200405 1,175,275 316,089 517,975 341,211 249,647 
		
	
	The apparent discrepancies between the two data sets during the period 199697 to 200001 reflect different data collection methodologies. For instance, the Daycare Facilities Survey (DCFS) treats Out of School/Holiday Club places in a different manner to the Ofsted/LA figures. The DCFS counted a Holiday Club place that is available during each school holiday as three places (one at Easter, one in the summer, and one at Christmas) whereas the Ofsted/LA figures would consider it as just one place. The DCFS childminder places count methodology itself underwent major revision between 199192 and 199293, which explains the sudden leap in the figures there.
	Since 2003 the Sure Start, Extended Schools and Families Group has used quarterly registration data from Ofsted to measure the stock of, and fluctuations in, childcare place. Prior to that figures were generated from comparable data included within local authorities' annual returns to the Early Years and Childcare Unit (now part of the Sure Start, Extended Schools and Families Group). These administrative data figures have less statistical validity than the Daycare Facilities Survey, which were published as National Statistics.

Departmental Property

Philip Hollobone: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills what property her Department owns in the Kettering constituency.

Maria Eagle: The Department does not own any property in Kettering.

Departmental Staff

Nick Gibb: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills 
	(1)  what assessment she has made of the (a) literacy and (b) numeracy skills of new recruits to her Department;
	(2)  what training in (a) literacy and (b) numeracy is offered to employees of her Department.

Maria Eagle: My Department has a Skills For Life (basic skills) framework which sets out how we support staff with basic skills needs.
	The Department provides advice and guidance to any member of staff who wants to enhance their literacy and numeracy skills, and can arrange for screening and diagnostic assessment.
	Earlier this year the Department ran an in-house basic skills course for staff. The programme gave people with an identified skills need three hours tuition per week, delivered by tutors from the local adult education service. The tutor is still on-site for three hours per week to provide additional learning support to participants to help them enhance their skills.
	In 2002, the last time the Department undertook a large recruitment of administrative staff, candidates were assessed via a selection process, which included written tests for numeracy and literacy.

Departmental Consultation

Peter Ainsworth: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills if she will list formal consultations being sponsored by her Department and its agencies; and what the (a) commencement date and (b) deadline for responses is in each case.

Maria Eagle: My Department is sponsoring 13 formal consultations. These are in the following list with corresponding commencement dates and deadlines for responses.
	My Department has no agencies.
	
		Department for Education and Skills
		
			 Title of consultation Commencement date Deadline for responses 
		
		
			 Consultation on Proposals to Extend the Streamlined Route for Schools to Acquire Foundation Status to Primary Schools 5 July 2005 8 November 2005 
			 Youth Matters 18 July 2005 4 November 2005 
			 Somewhere To Go, Something To Do 18 July 2005 4 November 2005 
			 A Single Inspectorate for Children and Learners 29 July 2005 4 November 2005 
			 New Fire Safety Guidance for Schools 1 August 2005 18 November 2005 
			 Cross Government GuidanceSharing Information on Children and Young People 23 August 2005 15 November 2005 
			 European Qualifications Framework 31 August 2005 23 November 2005 
			 Review of the Regulations Governing the Registration of Pupils in Schools 1 September 2005 14 December 2005 
			 Improving the HE Applications Process 9 September 2005 5 December 2005 
			 Turning the TablesTransforming School FoodRecommendations for the Development and Implementation of Revised School Lunch Standards 3 October 2005 3 December 2005 
			 Consultation on the Disability Discrimination Act 1995 (Amendment) (Further and Higher Education) Regulations 2006 5 October 2005 30 December 2005 
			 Consistent Financial Reporting Framework 2006/7 13 October 2005 5 January 2006 
			 Draft Standards for Support and Outreach Services 24 October 2005 27 January 2006

Education Maintenance Allowance

Andrew Smith: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills how many students in Oxfordshire were in receipt of education maintenance allowance (a) in total and (b) at the rate of (i) 30, (ii) 20 and (iii) 10 per week in the last year for which figures are available.

Maria Eagle: This is a matter for the Learning and Skills Council, who operate Education Maintenance Allowances for the DfES and hold the information about take-up of the scheme. Mark Haysom, the Council's Chief Executive, will write to the hon. Gentleman with the information requested and a copy of his reply will be placed in the Library.
	Letter from Mark Haysom to Mr. Andrew Smith, dated 25 October 2005
	I am writing in response to your Parliamentary Question that asked how many students in Oxfordshire were in receipt of education maintenance allowance (a) in total, (b) as the rate of (i) @30, (ii) @20 and (iii) @10 per week in the last year for which figures are available.
	During Academic Year 2004/05 the number of young people who had received one or more EMA payments in Oxfordshire Local Authority area was 1,410.
	EMA is awarded in three defined payment bands of 30, 20 and 10, depending on household income. In Oxfordshire Local Authority area the take-up of EMA by payment band is split as follows: 72% on 30 per week, 13% on 20 per week and 15% on 10 per week.
	I hope this information is helpful and addresses your question. If you would like further details please contact Chris Bradley at the LSC National Office on 0114 207 4512 or christopher.brad ley@lsc.gov.uk

Havering Borough

Andrew Rosindell: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills what was the cost of collecting tuition fees from students in the London borough of Havering in the last year for which figures are available.

Bill Rammell: Where students are liable for higher education tuition fees, they pay them direct to the institution. Information on the cost to universities is not collected.

Education (Kingston and Surbiton)

Edward Davey: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills how many children in Kingston and Surbiton constituency attended nursery in each of the last 10 years for which figures are available; and how many children in Kingston and Surbiton have taken up free nursery places since the policy was introduced.

Beverley Hughes: All four-year-olds have been entitled to a free early education place since 1998 and from April 2004 this entitlement was extended to all three-year-olds. The free entitlement consists of a minimum of five two and a half hour sessions per week for 33 weeks of the year for six terms before statutory school age, which is the term following their fifth birthday.
	Some local authorities may additionally offer subsidised child care places but this information is not collected centrally.
	Figures for January 2005 show that all four-year-old children receive some form of free entitlement. The figure for three-year-olds is 96 per cent. This covers all maintained, private, voluntary and independent providers and represents 535,100 three-year-olds and 568,300 four-year-olds.
	The available information on the number of free nursery education places taken up by three and four-year-olds in Kingston and Surbiton parliamentary constituency area and Kingston upon Thames local authority is shown in the tables.
	For 2005, information for private and voluntary providers is available for Kingston upon Thames but not currently available for Kingston and Surbiton constituency.
	The latest figures on early education places for three and four-year-olds in England were published in Statistical First Release 43/2005 Provision for children under five years of age in EnglandJanuary 2005 (final) in September, which is available on my Department's website www.dfes.gov.uk/rsgateway/
	
		Number of free nursery education places(41) taken up by three and four-year-olds Parliamentary constituency: Kingston and Surbiton 
		
			  3-year-olds 4-year-olds 
			 Position in January each year Maintained nursery and primary schools(42) Other maintained and private, voluntary and independent providers Total 3-year-olds Maintained nursery and primary schools(43) Other maintained and private, voluntary and independent providers Total 4-year-olds 
		
		
			 2004 550 280 800 820 170 1,000 
			 2005 560 n/a 900 790 n/a 1,000 
		
	
	n/a = Not available.
	(41) Figures are rounded to the nearest 10 or 100 as appropriate.
	2 Headcount of children aged three at 31 December in the previous calendar year from the Annual Schools' Census.
	3 Part-time equivalent number of children aged three at 31 December in the previous calendar year from the Early Years Census and the Annual Schools' Census.
	Notes:
	1. Headcount of children aged four at 31 December in the previous calendar year from the Annual Schools' Census.
	2. Part-time equivalent number of children aged four at 31 December in the previous calendar year from the Early Years Census and the Annual Schools' Census.
	
		Number of free nursery education places(42) taken up by three and four-year-oldsLocal authority: Kingston upon Thames 
		
			  3-year-olds 4-year-olds 
			 Position in January each year Maintained nursery and primary schools(43) Other maintained and private, voluntary and independent providers Total 3-year-olds Maintained nursery and primary schools(44) Other maintained and private, voluntary and independent providers Total 4-year-olds 
		
		
			 1997 890 n/a 890 n/a n/a (45)1,600 
			 1998 890 n/a 890 n/a n/a (45)1,600 
			 1999 890 n/a 890 n/a n/a (45)1,700 
			 2000 940 (46)0 900 n/a n/a (45)1,400 
			 2001 910 (46)170 1,100 n/a n/a (45)1,700 
			 2002 950 (46)200 1,100 1,400 (45)270 1,600 
			 2003 890 (46)400 1,300 1,400 (47)240 1,700 
			 2004 890 (48)390 1,300 1,400 (49)260 1,600 
			 2005 910 (48)520 1,400 1,300 (49)230 1,600 
		
	
	n/a = Not available.
	(42) Figures are rounded to the nearest 10 or 100 as appropriate.
	2 Headcount of children aged three at 31 December in the previous calendar year from the Annual Schools' Census.
	(43) Headcount of children aged four at 31 December in the previous calendar year from the Annual Schools' Census.
	4 Part-time equivalent number of children aged four at 31 December in the previous calendar year from the Nursery Education Grant data collection exercise.
	(44) Part-time equivalent number of children aged three at 31 December in the previous calendar year from the Nursery Education Grant data collection exercise.
	(45) Part-time equivalent number of children aged four at 31 December in the previous calendar year from the Early Years Census supplementary data collection exercise and the Annual Schools' Census.
	(46) Part-time equivalent number of children aged three at 31 December in the previous calendar year from the Early Years Census and the Annual Schools' Census.
	(47) Part-time equivalent number of children aged four at 31 December in the previous calendar year from the Early Years Census and the Annual Schools' Census.
	Changes in pupil figures may arise from changes to the underlying population in the local authority area and other factors. However, my Department do not publish population figures for individual age cohorts at sub-national level because of the unreliability of the underlying population estimates. The Office for National Statistics publish sub-national population estimates in five-year age bands.

Home Education

David Taylor: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills what funding is available to parents who wish to educate at home children with learning disabilities who are over 16 years of age.

Bill Rammell: holding answer 31 October 2005
	As with children of compulsory school age my Department does not provide extra funding for parents of young people aged 16 and over who choose to educate their children at home. Resources for post-16 education and training are allocated by the Learning and Skills Council (LSC) to local authorities, further education colleges and other providers to enable all young people a place in education or training. The LSC also supports a network of specialist colleges for learners with severe learning difficulties and/or disabilities and supports some young people who learn at home because their medical condition does not allow them to attend school or college. Parents of young people can receive advice from the Connexions Service about the types of provision that may be suitable for their children.

Learning and Skills Councils

Mike Hancock: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills if she will assess the effect of the proposed redundancies on each office of the Learning and Skills Council in (a) Hampshire and (b) the Isle of Wight.

Bill Rammell: The LSC is embarking upon a major transformation programme that will make it a smaller, more dynamic and more customer-focused organisation. This will build upon its existing strengths; further develop its relationships with providers and with its partners, and help push the highest proportion of its funding out through colleges and providers into front line delivery. At local level, the LSC will develop small teams of professional staff who will support the delivery of its priority objectives through strategic relationships with colleges, providers and other key stakeholders and so ensure that the needs of local employers and learners are met. I fully support the changes the LSC is making as I believe it will help bring about an organisation that is fit for purpose.
	The effects on organisation and staffing are matters for the LSC. I have therefore asked Mark Haysom, the LSC's Chief Executive, to write to the hon. Gentleman with further information. A copy of his reply will be placed in the Library.
	Letter from Mark Haysom to Mr. Hancock, dated 19 October 2005
	You asked a recent question in the house about the impact of changes at the LSC on the offices in Hampshire and the Isle of Wight. We only have one office, which is based in Fareham.
	The purpose of our programme of change at the LSC is to ensure we develop a structure which is fit for purpose as we take forward our agenda for change with colleges and other post 16 providers of education and training. Central to the arrangements will be strong professional local teams developing strategic relationships with all the key players in each locality, supported by a Regional Service Centre and a slimline National Office. We are committed to maintaining a presence in each of our local LSC areas.
	We are currently in the early stages of working through how best to implement this policy in each part of the country, so I am afraid that at this stage I cannot set out specifically how the arrangements for Hampshire and the Isle of Wight will be taken forward. But I can assure you that at the heart of our deliberations will be how best the LSC can help meet the needs of learners, employers, communities and the economy across the area.
	I am copying this letter to Hilary Chadwick, our Executive Director for Hampshire and the Isle of Wight, and am asking her to keep you informed as our thinking develops.

Lifelong Learning

Nick Gibb: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills what steps her Department takes to promote lifelong learning among teachers.

Phil Hope: Our recent White Paper Higher Standards, Better Schools for All set out our plans for a new professionalism for teachers, in which career progression and financial rewards will go to those who make the biggest impact on pupil progress and who show commitment to their own professional development and that of their colleagues. A thorough reform of all teachers' professional standards, with more stretch at every level, will set out what can be expected of teachers at each stage in their career. Existing teacher appraisals will be replaced by teaching and learning reviews, which will help focus teachers on effective classroom practice and ensure that they are involved in effective professional development and, where this is appropriate, contributing to the professional development of others.

Smoking

Andrew Rosindell: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills what percentage of sixth form colleges have a designated smoking area for students.

Bill Rammell: Sixth Form Colleges are part of the further education sector and are independent institutions responsible for their own health and safety policies. The Department does not hold information about colleges' smoking policies or their provision of designated smoking areas for students.

Special Educational Needs

Helen Jones: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills what assessment she has made of the training requirements of the education workforce to equip them with the skills needed to improve attainment among pupils with special educational needs; and what estimate she has made of the costs of such a programme.

Maria Eagle: The National Standards for Qualified Teacher Status (QTS), and the Induction Standards for Newly Qualified Teachers, both cover special educational needs (SEN).
	In order to be awarded QTS, trainee teachers must demonstrate that they understand their responsibilities under the statutory SEN Code of Practice, know how to seek advice from specialists on less common types of SEN, can differentiate their teaching to meet the needs of pupils, including those with SEN, and can identify and support pupils who experience behavioural, emotional and social difficulties.
	Induction standards require newly qualified teachers to demonstrate that they can plan effectively to meet the needs of pupils in their classes with SEN, with or without a statement and, in consultation with the SEN co-ordinator, can contribute to the preparation and implementation of individual education plans or the equivalent.
	Once qualified, all teachers are expected to identify their development needs through performance management arrangements, and to address identified needs by undertaking appropriate professional development. This includes strengthening SEN knowledge.
	All schools receive a school development grant which they are able to use to support improvements in any aspect of teaching and learning. Local authorities may retain a proportion of this grant, under certain conditions, to provide specific training and development of SEN.
	The Department's published SEN Strategy, Removing Barriers to Achievement recognised the importance of training and committed us to work closely with the Training and Development Agency for Schools to ensure that initial teacher training and programmes of continuing professional development provide a good grounding in core skills and knowledge of SEN. We have commissioned the TDA to carry forward a range of initiatives designed to improve and strengthen the SEN skills and confidence of trainees, newly qualified and established teachers. These initiatives will be implemented over the period 200508 at a cost of approximately 1.1 million.
	Support staff, including teaching assistants, also play an important role in schools, often working closely with pupils with SEN and disabilities. In recognition of this, the TDA also now has responsibility for support staff training and development. The National Occupational Standards for Teaching/Classroom Assistants contains elements relevant to working with pupils with SEN or particular educational needs. The TDA will be reviewing these standards as part of its new responsibilities. Induction training materials on SEN for teaching assistants working in both primary and secondary schools are available, as is introductory training for other support staff, which contains a discrete module covering inclusion, SEN and disabilities. The standards for higher level teaching assistants (HLTAs), for which the IDA is also responsible, require HLTAs to know the legal definition of SEN and be familiar with guidance about meeting SEN given in the SEN code of practice. HLTAs also promote and support the inclusion of all pupils in learning activities.

Star Awards

Stephen O'Brien: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills 
	(1)  pursuant to the letter concerning Star Awards from the Minister of State for Lifelong Learning, Further and Higher Education dated July 2005, and the correction letter of 2 August 2005, who the contractor who caused the distribution error was; what steps have been taken to ensure that the error is not paid for from public funds; and if she will make a statement;
	(2)  pursuant to the letter dated July 2005, concerning Star Awards from the Minister of State for Lifelong Learning, Further and Higher Education, what the estimated cost of the error was; and how much was accounted for by (a) stationery, (b) postage, (c) staffing costs and (d) other costs.

Bill Rammell: The contractor that caused the distribution error was Prolog.
	The estimated total cost of rectifying the error was 500, most of which related to DfES staff time. Prolog has compensated my Department with this amount As a result of this incident, I instructed my officials that in future contractors should not be used to despatch letters signed by Ministers, unless agreed in advance. In these cases, additional checks will be carried out prior to despatch.

University Admissions

Stephen O'Brien: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills what assessment she has made of the impact post-qualification university applications will have on the Government's 50 per cent. target for university entry.

Bill Rammell: The consultation on higher education applications is primarily about increasing fairness in the system. It argues that an improved application system may encourage some students to apply who otherwise would not have considered higher education as a destination, but it does not attempt to quantify any increase in applicant numbers. Instead, we have put forward a number of important proposals for reform that are driven by a shared desire to make the higher education application system fairer for all students. They do this by giving applicants better information about their higher education options so that they make better targeted applications; by not basing admissions decisions on predicted examination grades, more than half of which are wrong; and through an extended system to allow students whose results are better than expected to apply to other institutions or courses with the safety net of their conditionally offered places to fall back on if necessary. The consultation explains that it is possible to introduce such reforms by 200809 and that they might pave the way for a further reformed system of post-qualification applications in the longer term.

University Admissions

Stephen O'Brien: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills what assessment she has made of the recent proposals from the Secondary Heads Association regarding post-qualification university applications; and if she will make a statement.

Bill Rammell: A commission of the Secondary Heads Association (SHA) published a report in November 2004 that found the reasons for a system of post-qualification applications to higher education overwhelming. That report was a timely one, coming just as Sir Alan Wilson was beginning his work to consider how a post-qualification application system might be implemented. Three members of the SHA group that had prepared that report sat on Sir Alan's national Consultation Group that was prominent in helping to develop the present proposals for reform. Sir Alan's report, which forms the current consultation document, acknowledges fully the SHA work and adopts some of its rationale for post-qualification applications and in particular the practical concept of the two-stage approach which is described in detail in the consultation document.

NORTHERN IRELAND

Alcohol/Drug Use

Sammy Wilson: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland 
	(1)  what recent action his Department has taken to educate children in schools in the Province about alcohol;
	(2)  what recent action his Department has taken to discourage drug use in schools in Northern Ireland.

Angela Smith: Schools are required to have a drugs education policy that must outline how the curricular requirement to educate all pupils about the dangers of drugs and alcohol misuse is met. The Department issued updated guidance to all schools in May 2004 to support them in drawing up their policy.

Alcohol/Drug Use

Peter Robinson: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland how many people in Northern Ireland have been certified as having died due to (a) alcoholic liver disease, (b) alcoholic cardiomyopathy and (c) mental and behavioural disorders due to alcohol in each of the last five years.

Angela Smith: The table gives the number of deaths where the underlying cause of death was alcoholic liver disease 1 , alcoholic cardiomyopathy 2 or mental and behavioural disorders due to alcohol 3 in the latest year available, 2004.
	1 International Classification of Diseases, Tenth Revision code K70.
	2 International Classification of Diseases, Tenth Revision code 142.6.
	3 International Classification of Diseases, Tenth Revision code F10.
	
		Number of deaths registered with underlying cause of death: alcoholic liver disease, alcoholic cardiomyopathy, or mental and behavioural disorders due to alcohol, 2004
		
			 Cause of death Number of deaths (2004)(48) 
		
		
			 Alcoholic liver disease 126 
			 Alcoholic cardiomyopathy 3 
			 Mental and behavioural disorders due to alcohol 68 
		
	
	(48) Provisional data

Amateur Sports Clubs

Peter Robinson: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland how many registered community amateur sports clubs in Northern Ireland are receiving relief from business rates.

Angela Smith: There is no requirement for sports clubs in Northern Ireland to register with Inland Revenue as Community Amateur Sports Clubs to receive sport and recreational relief and therefore this figure is not available.
	Currently 682 sports clubs in Northern Ireland receive sport and recreational relief.

Avian Influenza

Lady Hermon: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what additional measures are being taken to prevent the illegal import of (a) exotic and (b) domesticated birds into Northern Ireland; and if he will make a statement.

Angela Smith: The Department of Agriculture and Rural Development Portal Inspectors already maintain a presence at Northern Ireland ports and airports. Among their responsibilities they conduct various checks on travellers and commercial consignments to prevent illegal importation of animals (including birds) and animal products. There is no distinction made between illegal imports of exotic and domestic birds into Northern Ireland.
	All individuals/companies importing legal consignments of animals/birds entering Northern Ireland are required to present their documentation including health certificate (if applicable) to DARD officials for scrutiny. Inspectors have the power to off-load consignments, to detain or seize suspect illegal imports.
	If there is an outbreak of disease in an exporting country DARD takes appropriate emergency safeguard action in accordance with Community legislation. This may include a ban on imports of animals and animal products from all, or parts, of that country.
	As the threat of avian influenza has increased, Portal inspectors have been more vigilant in respect of imports from countries posing a higher disease risk. They have, in conjunction with HM Revenue and Customs, conducted specific operations against flights from high risk countries in relation to avian influenza and also issued advice leaflets to travellers.

Avian Influenza

Iris Robinson: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what guidelines he intends to issue to those people who keep poultry, other than farmers, to ensure proper information is available and appropriate action taken with urgency should symptoms of avian influenza appear in their flocks.

Angela Smith: The Department of Agriculture and Rural Development has published general guidance on risks associated with avian influenza (AI) and appropriate biosecurity measures to be followed to protect the health of non-commercial poultry flocks. This is available on the DARD website and is also being made available through sellers of feed and other sources.
	The Department has also written to stakeholder representative bodies and meetings have been held with them to communicate information to a wider cross-section of interested parties, other than farmers.
	The Department has also increased the capacity of its helpline to handle queries on AI and has posted a raft of information on its website.
	The Department is implementing recent European Commission decisions regarding AI. One such preventative measure will require poultry keepers to register with the Department. This will enable the Department to communicate directly with a larger number of poultry keepers than are required currently to notify the Department of the poultry they keep.

Birds

Iris Robinson: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland how many registered dealers and importers of birds there are in Northern Ireland; and how many birds each has imported over the past 12 months.

Angela Smith: Any premises where animals, including exotic birds, are kept primarily for the purposes of selling to the public are required to be licensed as pet shops. There are 90 licensed pet shops.
	There is no requirement to register or licence an individual who acts as a wholesaler of birds unless he sells direct to the public. There is no register of importers of exotic birds.
	We do not have any record of importations from GB as there is no requirement for these to be specifically licensed. However, there have been two imports of birds from Belgium to a pet shop here which involved 890 birds. There have also been five importations of birds as family pets direct to private premises. Importations direct to a zoo are licensed and 28 birds have been imported from GB to Belfast Zoo over the past 12 months.

Birds

Iris Robinson: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what guidelines will be issued to the general public on the disposal of dead birds found in public places in Northern Ireland; and if he will make a statement.

Angela Smith: On the 19 October 2005 the Department of Agriculture and Rural Development issued a press notice advising the public that they could report any unusual bird deaths, particularly those of wildfowl, to the Department's helpline. Arrangements are in place to receive reports of such incidents over the weekend period.
	The Department will assess the significance of the reports being received. Should the Department assess the situation as posing any sort of potential link to avian influenza (AI) it will make arrangements to remove the birds for laboratory analysis.
	A question and answer brief regarding the Department's measures directed at surveillance for AI in the Northern Ireland wild bird population is available on the Department's website. This includes general information on sensible precautions to be observed when handling dead birds.
	Information regarding the disposal of dead birds is dependent on the nature of the incident being reported to the Department. In most circumstances the disposal will be no different to the action normally taken by a householder or member of the public.

Birds

Iris Robinson: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what checks are in place in Northern Ireland to prevent illegal (a) smuggling and (b) selling of exotic birds; and what punishments are available for those found guilty of carrying out these acts.

Angela Smith: Department of Agriculture and Rural Development portal inspectors maintain a presence at Northern Ireland ports and airports. Checks are undertaken for illegal smuggling of live animals, including exotic birds and animal products, particularly originating from Third Countries. There have been no illegal exotic birds found in 2005.
	The illegal import of an exotic bird is an offence under article 16 the Animals and Animal Products (Import and Export) Regulations (NI) 2005. It attracts (a) on summary conviction, a fine not exceeding the statutory maximum level 5 (5,000) or to imprisonment not exceeding three months or to both; or (b) on conviction on indictment, to a fine or to imprisonment for a term not exceeding two years or to both. The offence of selling such a bird would be pursued as the illegal importation of the bird as there is no specific offence of selling an illegally imported bird.

Bovine TB

Iris Robinson: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland if he will make a statement on the incidence of bovine tuberculosis in Northern Ireland.

Angela Smith: The Department of Agriculture and Rural Development, has in place a bovine tuberculosis (TB) control programme, which aims to bring about a substantial reduction in TB disease levels in Northern Ireland. The incidence of TB has been decreasing in Northern Ireland since early to mid-2003. This trend has continued during the first eight months of 2005.
	The control measures are based on a programme of testing, the slaughter of infected animals, the restriction of movements of animals to and from infected herds and surrounding herds, and the tracing of contact animals.
	Following the TB Policy Review undertaken in 2002, DARD has introduced a number of new measures to strengthen the control of TB in Northern Ireland. The most important of these measures are tighter restrictions on overdue tests and changes to the valuation system, including the establishment of an independent appeal panel to resolve valuation disputes.
	Work is also under way on the feasibility of further measures that can be introduced to control TB. This includes a pilot on the use of the gamma interferon blood test, in combination with skin testing, to assist in the detection of TB in cattle in certain circumstances, and a review of the existing arrangements for TB testing arrangements.
	In relation to badgers and TB, a Badger Stakeholder Group was established in May 2004 to review all the relevant information available on badgers and to consider the potential need for a badger management strategy to help reduce TB levels in Northern Ireland. At present, work is under way to develop cost/benefit information to assist the group. No decision will be taken on badgers in Northern Ireland until the work of the Badger Stakeholder Group has been completed.

Breast Cancer

William McCrea: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what the level of uptake of the breast cancer screening programme was in (a) each Northern Ireland parliamentary constituency and (b) each health board area in each of the past three years; and what steps are being taken to promote uptake of screening.

Shaun Woodward: The information requested is not available on a parliamentary constituency basis but in respect of health board areas the uptake rate 1 of breast screening is as set out in the following table.
	1 The uptake rate is calculated on the basis of the number of women screened as a percentage of the number invited over a three year period.
	
		
			  Year ending: March 
			  2004 2003 2002 
		
		
			 EHSSB 68.5 67.4 70.5 
			 NHSSB 82.8 81.2 76.9 
			 SHSSB 76.4 74.9 78.1 
			 WHSSB 78.8 74.7 74.9 
		
	
	Each of the four health boards is actively involved in a variety of ways in seeking to improve uptake of breast screening. Particular attention is being paid to those in disadvantaged areas, ethnic minority groups, women with learning/literary difficulties. Tailored training and education updates have been introduced for GPs, nurses based in general practice, and Action Cancer and Ulster Cancer Foundation personnel; information sessions have been held for women, carers, and staff in day/adult centres.

Buckley Report

Sammy Wilson: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what estimate he has made of the legal costs incurred in acquiring an injunction preventing the publication of information from Sir Michael Buckley's report in a local newspaper.

Angela Smith: No legal costs were incurred in acquiring the injunction.

Cancer Patients (Parking Charges)

William McCrea: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland if he will exempt cancer patients from parking charges in NHS hospitals in Northern Ireland; and if he will make a statement.

Shaun Woodward: Decisions about charging for car parking at hospitals, and exemptions from them, are matters for individual health and social services trusts. Not all acute hospital trusts charge for car parking. For those that do, the hospital travel costs scheme provides for patients who are in receipt of certain state benefits, or who are on a low income, to be reimbursed for hospital travel costs, including car parking charges.
	On 13 October, the Parliamentary Health Committee announced an inquiry into co-payments and charges in the NHS, including charges for amenities such as car parking. I will wish to consider the findings of the inquiry when it is complete.

Cattle Exports

William McCrea: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland if he will list organisations in Northern Ireland which have been consulted on the proposed change in legislation relating to cattle exports.

Angela Smith: The organisations in the following list were consulted on amendments to Northern Ireland export controls which would be needed to allow the export of cattle born on or after 1 August 1996 and beef or bovine products derived from them.
	26 district councils
	81 hauliers
	Aberdeen Angus Society
	ABP Lurgan
	ABP Newry
	Animal Welfare Federation NI
	Association of Local Authorities in Northern Ireland
	Ballymena Meats
	Belfast Zoo
	Blackface Sheep Breeders Association
	Blue Ribbon Dog Foods
	Border Leicester Sheep Breeders Club
	British Holstein Society
	C  J Meats
	Cattle Traders' and Stockowners' Association
	CMO, DHSSPS
	Compassion in World Farming
	Concordia Countryside Services Ltd.
	Crossgar Meats
	Doherty and Gray Wholesale Meats
	Down Royal Corporation of Horse Breeders
	Dungannon Meats
	Dungannon Proteins
	Elite Butchers Association
	Elmgrove Foods
	Etherson Meats
	Eurofreeze Ireland
	Eurostock Foods
	Favour Petfoods
	FC Robinson
	Feedall Pet Foods
	Feedwell Animal Foods
	Food Standards Agency, Northern Ireland
	Foyle Meats
	Foyle Proteins
	General Consumer Council
	Gold Medal Dog Foods
	Greenleaf Fibre
	Half Breed Horse Breeders Society
	Hampshire Down Sheep Breeders Association
	Hewitt Brothers
	Hilton Meat Products
	Ile de France Breeders Club
	Irish Beltex Sheep Breeders Club
	Irish Draught Horse Society (NI)
	Irish Moiled Cattle Society
	Irish Pony Society (NI Region)
	Irish Thoroughbred Breeders Association (Northern Region)
	Kettyle Foods
	Lean and Easy Ltd.
	Linden Foods
	Livestock and Meat Commission
	Lleyn Sheep Breeders Club
	Mackle/Brandy Petfood
	Martin Lavery Tripe and Dog Food Supplies
	Master Hounds Association
	McKee's Meats
	MKL Meats
	Moyallen Quality Foods
	National Beef Association
	National Pony Society (NI Area)
	NI Belgian Blue Club
	NI Blonde D'Aquitaine Cattle Club
	NI Charlois Club
	NI Council for Equestrianism
	NI Hereford Breeders Association
	NI Holstein Friesian Breeders Club
	NI Poultry Federation
	NI Rep for Irish Horseracing Authority
	NI Sheep Breeders Development Group
	NI Shetland Pony Society
	NI Simmental Cattle Club
	NI Suffolk Sheep Club
	Northern Ireland Agricultural Producers Association
	Northern Ireland Auctioneers Association
	Northern Ireland Dairy Association
	Northern Ireland Grain Trade Association
	Northern Ireland Horse Breeders
	Northern Ireland Master Butchers' Association
	Northern Ireland Meat Exporters' Association
	Nutts About Dogs
	O'Kane Poultry
	O'Neills Dog Food
	Oakdale Meats
	Omagh Meats
	P. Traynor Quality Meats
	Paddy Dog Food
	Pedro Pet Foods
	Pharmaceutical Society for Northern Ireland
	Piedmontese Society
	Principal Environmental Health Officers
	Rare Breed Society
	Rare Breed Survival Trust
	S  M Meats
	Salers Cattle Society
	Shropshire Representative for NI
	Silverbirth Dog Foods
	Stevenson and Co.
	Tenderlean Meats
	Topping Meats
	Townsend Meats
	Trio Bloom
	Ulster Ayrshire Cattle Club
	Ulster Farm By-Products
	Ulster Farmers Union
	Ulster Jersey Cattle Club
	Ulster Poultry Federation
	Ulster Ram Breeders Association
	Ulster Shorthorn Breeders Association
	Unipet
	United Kingdom Renderers' Association
	USPCA
	Vanstar Meats
	VetNI
	WD Meats
	Wm Sprott Ltd.
	Wonder Dog Foods
	Woodland Meats.

Cattle Exports

William McCrea: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what the value of exports of live cattle from Northern Ireland was in 1995.

Angela Smith: In 1995, the value of live cattle exports from Northern Ireland was estimated to be 34.6 million. This figure relates only to movements out of the UK.

Child Abuse

Iris Robinson: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what guidelines are issued by education boards to assist teachers on how to prevent and report child abuse; and if he will make a statement.

Angela Smith: The Department's publication1999/10 'Pastoral Care in Schools: Child Protection' contains comprehensive and wide-ranging advice and guidance for schools on all aspects of child protection, including the action to be taken to enable cases of suspected abuse to be properly considered and pursued. It was drawn up in conjunction with representatives from the Department, the five Education and Library Boards, the Council for Catholic and Maintained Schools and the Council for the Curriculum, Examinations and Assessment. Education and Library Boards base their child protection training of designated/deputy designated child protection teachers, new Principals/teachers and Boards of Governors on the advice contained in this publication which is available on the Department's website at www.deni.gov.uk/teachers/circulars/dcl999102.pdf.

Child Support

Iris Robinson: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland how many cases of non-payment by parents of child support are pending adjudication in the Province; and if he will make a statement.

David Hanson: There is no provision within child support legislation to allow cases of non-payment of child support to be subjected to any process of adjudication.

Child Support

Iris Robinson: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland how many parents in the Province have been found to be avoiding paying the correct amount of child support since the establishment of the Child Support Agency.

David Hanson: There is no mechanism within child support legislation to allow parents to be found innocent or guilty of avoiding paying the correct amount of child support maintenance.

Common Fisheries Policy

Iris Robinson: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland if he will make a statement on the Government's plans for reform of the Common Fisheries Policy, with particular reference to the implications for Northern Ireland.

Angela Smith: The new Common Fisheries Policy (CFP) was introduced on 1 January 2003, following extensive consultation with stakeholders across Europe.
	The Government's plans for further reform of the CFP are set out in Securing the Benefits, the joint UK response to the Prime Minister's Strategy Unit report on the future of the fishing industry in the UK. This sets out our priorities to:
	Ensure effective integration of the new Regional Advisory Councils into the policy development and decision making process
	Examine ways of improving the governance of the CFP
	Improve and simplify the regulatory environment
	Tackle the issue of discarding through pilot projects.
	The North Western Waters Regional Advisory Council was launched on 30 September 2005. Northern Ireland stakeholders are represented on the Executive Committee and the Irish Sea sub-group.
	A discussion of how to improve the annual fisheries decision making process was held at the meeting of the Council of Fisheries Ministers in Luxembourg on 24 October. This focused on possible changes to the fishing year to allow more time for consideration of Commission proposals for fishing quotas which are normally published in December, and on ways of bringing forward discussion on related issues. The Commission is working on an Action Plan for simplification of the CFP which is on the agenda for the December meeting of the Fisheries Council.
	Northern Ireland officials and stakeholders have been involved in the various groups that played a key role in drawing up Securing the Benefits, and will be involved in on-going follow-up work, including simplification, regulation, and environmental issues.

Costello Working Group

David Lidington: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland if he will make a statement on the reasons why the Department for Education and Skills believes that it would not be in the public interest to disclose the minutes and discussion papers of the Costello Working Group.

Angela Smith: After consideration and discussion with the Information Commissioner, the minutes of the meetings of the Post-Primary Review Working Group were disclosed and are available on the Department's website (www.deni.gov.uk).
	Elements of the papers prepared for discussion by the group were incorporated in the disclosed minutes. The Department of Education is currently considering whether the disclosure of the remaining elements of those papers would compromise members of future expert groups being able to have a free and frank exchange of views and provide advice to assist in the formulation of policy free from disclosure. I will write to the hon. Gentleman when that consideration has been completed.

Credit Union/Community Banking

Peter Robinson: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what research has been undertaken to ensure best value in encouraging growth in the credit union and community banking sector in Northern Ireland.

Angela Smith: As part of its current three-year Corporate Plan, the Department of Enterprise, Trade and Investment is committed to exploring new ways to encourage the further development of the Credit Union sector in Northern Ireland.
	Early in 2003, DETI initiated a major review of its policy on Credit Unions, including a conference involving key stakeholders in the sector in June 2003 and a number of workshops in 2004.
	On the back of this, DETI expects to make new statutory rules later this year which will enable the credit union movement to develop its potential and play a fuller role in Northern Ireland's social economy.
	They will:
	raise the limit on deposit accounts for junior members of Credit Unions from 1,000 to 10,000;
	extend the maximum repayment period for secured loans made by Credit Unions from 4 to 5 years;
	raise the limit on individual members' savings to the greater of 15,000 or 1.5 per cent. of the Credit Union's total shareholding;
	raise the limit on individual members' savings to the greater of 15,000 or 1.5 per cent. of the Credit Union's total shareholding; and
	remove the limit on the number of people who may be members of a particular Credit Union.

Dairy Prices

Iris Robinson: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what recent discussions he has had with the dairy industry on pricing of dairy products in Northern Ireland; and if he will make a statement.

Angela Smith: I have not had any discussions with the dairy industry on the pricing of dairy products. This is a purely commercial matter in which Government cannot get involved, as long as competition rules are respected. However, following the recent reform of the Common Agricultural Policy it is vital that the Northern Ireland dairy industry embraces change. It is therefore encouraging to note that the industry is being proactive to the challenges which it faces, by seeking to improve efficiency and increase the production of high added-value products. This combined with collaboration between the various parts of the food chain is a good road map to ensure the future sustainability of the dairy industry.

Departmental Refurbishment

Peter Robinson: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what (a) building and (b) refurbishment projects are planned by his Department in the (i) 200506 and (ii) 200607 financial years.

Angela Smith: A table providing details of building and refurbishment projects planned by NI Departments in the 200506 and 200607 financial years has been placed in the Library.

Disability Vehicles

Peter Robinson: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland how many people in Northern Ireland were in receipt of a disability vehicle due to receiving the high rate mobility disability living allowance in each of the last five years, broken down by district area.

David Hanson: The Motability Scheme is administered by Motability, an independent UK-wide charity. The following table provides details of the number of people in Northern Ireland who obtained a motability vehicle in each of the last five years. It is not possible to provide such information by geographical area, as this information is held only on a Northern Ireland wide basis.
	
		
			  1 April to 31 March Number of customers who availed of the Motability Scheme 
		
		
			 200001 24,178 
			 200102 23,435 
			 200203 23,481 
			 200304 23,608 
			 200405 24,332

Economic Vision

Lady Hermon: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what progress has been made towards the goal of publishing a strategy to support the delivery of the Economic Vision for Northern Ireland.

Angela Smith: Delivering the Economic Vision will require concerted action from both the public and private sectors. For its part Government will produce a regional economic strategy which will set out the policy framework for delivering the Economic Vision. These strategies, requested by Treasury, are being produced for the regions across the UK.
	The Northern Ireland strategy is currently being drafted by DFP in collaboration with the other Government departments. The intention is to circulate a draft for wider consideration before the end of this year.

Education and Library Boards

Sammy Wilson: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland how many education and library boards in Northern Ireland have not had their accounts signed off in each of the last five years.

Angela Smith: The number of year end accounts for the last five years for the education and library boards in Northern Ireland which have not yet been certified is as follows:
	
		
			  Year end accounts not yet certified 
		
		
			 200001 0 
			 200102 1 
			 200203 2 
			 200304 4 
			 200405 5

Electronic Human Resources

Mark Durkan: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland if he will make a statement on the procurement process used in relation to the Northern Ireland Civil Service electronic human resources contract.

Angela Smith: The procurement process is currently ongoing and is being conducted strictly in accordance with the Negotiated Procedure of the Public Services Contracts Regulations 1993 (As Amended).

Empty Homes

Iris Robinson: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland how many empty homes there are in (a) public sector housing and (b) private sector housing in the Strangford constituency.

David Hanson: There are 302 empty housing executive homes in the Strangford area. The information is not held in the format requested for private sector properties. However, it is estimated that there are around 1,680 vacant properties in the Ards and Down council areas which mainly cover the Strangford constituency.

Energy Efficiency (Pensioner Homes)

Peter Robinson: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what assessment he has made of the quality of publicly funded installation of central heating and insulation in pensioners' homes in Northern Ireland.

David Hanson: Eaga Partnership inspects all central heating installations provided in pensioners' homes under the Warm Homes Scheme and inspects 5 per cent. of the insulations. In addition, the Northern Ireland Housing Executive, as quality assurance auditors for the scheme, carries out monthly audits on both heating and insulation installations.
	This system of inspection ensures that work is completed to a high standard.

Energy Efficiency (Pensioner Homes)

Peter Robinson: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland how he has monitored customer satisfaction with publicly funded work carried out to install central heating and insulation in pensioners' homes in Northern Ireland.

David Hanson: Customer satisfaction of work carried out under the Warm Homes Scheme is monitored by Eaga Partnership, scheme managers, who complete 20 customer satisfaction questionnaires each month and proactively deal with any issues that may arise. In addition, the Northern Ireland Housing Executive (NIHE) carries out an annual customer satisfaction survey.
	The level of customer satisfaction remains very high at around 93 per cent.

Energy Efficiency (Pensioner Homes)

Peter Robinson: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland how many complaints he has received against (a) Eaga Partnership Ltd. and (b) its subcontractors in respect of publicly funded programmes to install central heating and insulation in pensioners' homes.

David Hanson: Since the Warm Homes Scheme commenced in 2001 the Department for Social Development has received (a) eight complaints about Eaga Partnership Ltd. and (b) eleven complaints about subcontractors in respect of the programmes to install central heating and insulation in pensioners' homes.

Fisheries

Peter Robinson: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland how many licences have been applied for by Northern Ireland fisheries boards to cull piscivorous birds in each of the last five years; how many applications for such licences were approved; and how many birds were shot under each licence, broken down by species.

Angela Smith: There are no fisheries boards in Northern Ireland. However, applications for 15 licences were received from organisations that could be classified as fisheries boards. All of these licences were granted. A total of 215 Cormorants were shot under these licences; no other species of bird was shot.
	The breakdown of licences is as follows.
	
		Department of Culture Arts and Leisure
		
			  Number applied for Number granted Number shot 
		
		
			 2000 1 1 29 
			 2001 1 1 6 
			 2002 1 1 30 
			 2003 1 1 0 
			 2004 1 1 30 
			 2005 (To date) 1 1 30 
		
	
	
		Foyle Carlingford and Irish Lights Commission
		
			  Number applied for Number granted Number shot 
		
		
			 2000 2 2 (49)20 
			 2001 2 2 (49)20 
			 2002 1 1 10 
			 2003 2 2 (49)20 
			 2004 2 2 (49)20 
			 2005 (To date) (50) (50) (50) 
		
	
	(49) 10 under each licence.
	(50) None.

Fujitsu

Mark Durkan: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what information the Fujitsu Services Ltd. consortium bidding for the Northern Ireland Civil Service Electronic Human Resources Contract has provided to his Department regarding its experience of human resources outsourcing work.

Angela Smith: The Fujitsu Services Limited Consortium has provided information on its experience of human resources outsourcing both in its response to the Invitation to Negotiate and in its Best and Final Offer submission.
	The procurement process is still ongoing and as such commercially sensitive information cannot be released at this stage.

Gap Year Funding

Peter Robinson: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland whether it is his policy to seek the creation of a gap year travel fund initiative for school leavers in Northern Ireland.

Angela Smith: There are no plans to introduce such a measure.

General Practitioners

Iris Robinson: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland how many general practitioners per head of population there are in the Province broken down by constituencies; and if he will make a statement.

Shaun Woodward: Information requested is provided in the following table.
	
		
			 Parliamentary constituency GPs per 10,000 population1, 2, 3 
		
		
			 Belfast East 8.4 
			 Belfast North 10.7 
			 Belfast South 7.0 
			 Belfast West 6.3 
			 East Antrim 4.9 
			 East Londonderry 6.2 
			 Fermanagh and South Tyrone 7.6 
			 Foyle 7.0 
			 Lagan Valley 5.4 
			 Mid Ulster 4.8 
			 Newry and Armagh 6.8 
			 North Antrim 7.1 
			 North Down 5.0 
			 South Antrim 5.1 
			 South Down 5.1 
			 Strangford 5.3 
			 Upper Bann 6.3 
			 West Tyrone 6.0 
		
	
	(51) Figures are derived from the Medlist Database maintained by the Central Services Agency, which holds data on the headcount number of individual general practitioners in Northern Ireland. The figures refer to unrestricted principals at 3 October 2005.
	(52) The source of the population figures is Demography and Methodology Branch of the Northern Ireland Statistics and Research Agency. The figures refer to the mid-year estimate of population at June 2004.
	(53) Figures are based on the location of each general practice in Northern Ireland.
	Source:
	Central Services Agency

Hazardous Waste

Iris Robinson: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what the estimated cost of dealing with illegal dumping of hazardous waste in the Province has been over the last three year period for which figures are available; and if he will make a statement.

Angela Smith: The Environment and Heritage Service does not hold details of the cost of dealing with illegally dumped hazardous waste. District councils have a statutory responsibility for dealing with fly-tipped hazardous waste, and bearing the costs of its disposal.

Hazardous Waste

Iris Robinson: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what estimate he has made of the cost to the Northern Ireland economy of illegal dumping in the Province of (a) waste and (b) hazardous waste originating from the Irish Republic over the last three years; and if he will make a statement.

Angela Smith: The estimated cost of cleaning up the illegal landfill sites is in the order of 25 million. The Department of the Environment does not have details of the cost of any hazardous waste originating in the Republic of Ireland which may have been dumped in Northern Ireland in the last three years.

Human Resources Contract

Mark Durkan: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland if he will list consultancy firms engaged by each Northern Ireland Department to advise on the electronic Human Resources Contract (a) prior to and (b) during the process overseen by the Northern Ireland Civil Service Project Board.

Angela Smith: The information requested is as follows:
	Prior to the process
	No consultancy firm was engaged to advise on the electronic Human Resources Contract prior to the process overseen by the Northern Ireland Civil Service Project Board.
	During the process
	Legal advice is provided by Denton Wilde Sapte appointed by the Strategic Investment Board.
	DFP appointed Deloitte MCS Limited and Grant Thornton UK LLP to advise on the her contract.
	Preparatory advice on Service Levels was provided by Deloitte MCS Limited between March and May 2004.
	Financial advice was provided by Deloitte MCS Limited from March 2004 to May 2005, Grant Thornton UK LLP have been providing financial advice to the project from May 2005.

Ilex Company

Gregory Campbell: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland pursuant to the answer of 14 October 2005, Official Report, column 647W, on Ilex Company, what criteria were used to select the companies used for recruitment of staff by Ilex; and which companies were used in that recruitment process.

David Hanson: There were two competitions, the recruitment of the Chief Executive Officer and the recruitment of senior staff.
	The criteria used in each competition were:
	Methodologythis provides details of the process to be followed including how the process is tailored to the particular post and the value added by an executive search.
	Experience and qualifications of company and staff, including evidence of having experience recruiting in this sector.
	Cost.
	Veredus Executive Resourcing, Birmingham, was appointed for the recruitment of the Chief Executive.
	Deloitte MCS Limited, Belfast, was appointed for the recruitment of the senior staff.

Licensing Hours

Iris Robinson: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what representations he has received from senior police officers on the proposed extension of drinking hours in the Province; and if he will make a statement.

David Hanson: A senior representative from the Police Service of Northern Ireland is represented on the steering group that has been involved in developing proposals for the reform of liquor licensing in Northern Ireland. Account was also taken of a survey of PSNI district commanders and regional headquarters carried out in October 2004. I have kept PSNI fully appraised of the final package of measures I put forward for consultation. A senior PSNI officer spoke in support of the measures at the launch of the consultation in Belfast on 1 November

Maintained Primary Schools

Gregory Campbell: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland how many students attended the Northern Ireland maintained primary school sector in each of the last five years.

Angela Smith: The information requested is as follows:
	
		Pupils in maintained primary schools in Northern Ireland
		
			  Catholic maintained schools Other maintained schools Total maintained schools 
		
		
			 200001 80,059 1,368 81,427 
			 200102 78,742 1,643 80,385 
			 200203 77,233 1,809 79,042 
			 200304 76,034 1,942 77,976 
			 200405 74,849 2,032 76,881 
		
	
	Note:
	Figures relate to pupils in year 1 to year 7 only.

Minimum Wage

Iris Robinson: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what assessment he has made of the impact on employment levels of the recent minimum wage increase, with particular reference to small and medium businesses in Northern Ireland; and if he will make a statement.

Angela Smith: The latest available assessment is the Low Pay Commission's The Impact of the National Minimum Wage (February 2005). The Low Pay Commission (LPC) is the statutory body whose role is to advise and make recommendations to the Government on the national minimum wage (NMW). The LPC report states that the NMW has had no significant adverse effects on business and employment creation. However, the report notes that the NMW is likely to have the most impact in those regions with the highest proportions of low paid employment, namely the North East, the East Midlands, Wales and Northern Ireland.
	When the minimum wage was first introduced there was concern that it would lead to an increase in the level and rate of unemployment. These fears have not materialised at either a national or regional level. Since the introduction of the NMW in 1999, Northern Ireland's unemployment rate has fallen from 7.5 per cent. and is currently 4.6 per cent. (UK = 4.7 per cent.). Furthermore, it is encouraging to note that since the NMW was introduced in 1999, the growth in Northern Ireland employment (10.7 per cent.) is almost twice that of the UK (5.4 per cent.).

MRSA

Peter Robinson: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what steps he is taking to raise awareness of MRSA in Northern Ireland.

Shaun Woodward: The Department of Health Social Services and Public Safety is taking steps to raise awareness of MRSA as follows:
	an MRSA patient information leaflet which provides relevant data on the origins, symptoms and treatment of the disease has recently been updated. The leaflet is available throughout the health service and is accessible on the DHSSPS website:
	www.dhsspsni.gov.uk/publichealth
	an antimicrobial resistance and hand hygiene TV advertising campaign was launched in 2004 and re-run in 2005.The aim of the campaign is to raise awareness of the need for good hand hygiene and also to emphasise the need to reduce the use of antibiotics.
	In June the Department launched a consultation document, A Strategy for Prevention and Control of Healthcare Associated Infections in Northern Ireland 200510. This document was issued to the HPSS, patient representatives and the general public. Responses to the consultation are being analysed at present and arising from this a detailed action plan will be launched at a major conference on the subject of infection control which the Department is hosting in Belfast in March 2006.

Multiple Sclerosis

Mark Durkan: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what steps he is taking to improve (a) availability and (b) delivery of disease modifying treatments for multiple sclerosis sufferers in Northern Ireland.

Shaun Woodward: Disease modifying treatments for people with multiple sclerosis have been available in Northern Ireland since the mid-1990s. At 30 September 2005, there were 576 patients receiving treatment with disease modifying therapies.
	In 200203, an additional 3 million was allocated to Health and Social Services Boards for a range of specialist medicines, including disease modifying therapies for people with multiple sclerosis. 100,000 was also allocated in 200203 specifically to enhance the infrastructure for delivery of disease modifying treatments for multiple sclerosis sufferers, including the appointment of specialist MS nurses and additional pharmacy staff. Further additional funding of 5 million for specialist hospital drugs has been allocated in the current financial year.
	It is for the Health and Social Services Boards, as commissioners of services, to prioritise how funding is used, taking into account the competing demands and pressures in their areas and the strategic objectives and priorities of my Department. This year, the Boards will spend an estimated 4.7 million providing disease modifying treatment to multiple sclerosis sufferers.

NHS Dentistry

Peter Robinson: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland how many NHS general dental practitioners (a) there were and (b) ceased to provide NHS general dental services in each Northern Ireland health Board area in each of the last five years.

Shaun Woodward: The information requested is as follows:
	(a) A dentist may hold a contract with more than one Health and Social Services Board depending on their geographical area. Information on the number of General Dental Practitioner (GDP) contracts for 2004 and 2005 by Board area is detailed in the following table. This table also details total GDP headcount figures for 2004 and 2005. The equivalent figures for 200103 were not available.
	
		NHS GDP contracts by Board area and total number of GDP's
		
			 Headcount 
			 Board area October 2004 October 2005 
		
		
			 Northern 320 336 
			 Eastern 188 195 
			 Southern 138 155 
			 Western 116 121 
			 Total NI dental contracts 762 807 
			 Total headcount 722 760 
		
	
	Source:
	Central Services Agency
	(b) In the year October 2004 to October 2005 there were 31 dentists (32 contracts) who left the health service. The contract figures spilt by Board area are detailed in the following table. The figures for previous years 200104 are not available.
	
		Number of NHS GDP contracts by Board area and total number of GDP's who have left the health service
		
			  Headcount 
			 Board area October 2004 to October 2005 
		
		
			 Northern 13 
			 Eastern 9 
			 Southern 3 
			 Western 7 
			 Total NI Dental contracts 32 
			 Total headcount 31 
		
	
	Source:
	Central Services Agency

Non-departmental Public Bodies

Peter Robinson: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland how many non-departmental public bodies in Northern Ireland have been (a) abolished and (b) established since 1998.

Angela Smith: The Northern Ireland Departments and the Northern Ireland Office have abolished 41 and created 26 non-departmental public bodies (including Executive, Advisory and Tribunal non-departmental public bodies) from 1 January 1998 to date.

Over-30-month Scheme

Iris Robinson: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland if he will make a statement on the over-30-month scheme.

Angela Smith: It was announced on 15 September that the UK Government have accepted the FSA's advice that the OTM Rule can be replaced by BSE testing for cattle born on or after 1 August 1996. To allow for new legislation to be put in place across all regions of the UK, implementation will be effective from 7 November 2005. Only cattle which test negative for BSE will enter the food chain.
	The over thirty month scheme (OTMS) will continue to run until the older cattle disposal scheme (OCDS), for animals born prior to 1 August 1996, is in place. This is likely to be January 2006 but in the interim, producers will have the choice of sending animals born on or after 1 August 1996 either to the OTMS, or for human consumption.

Planning Applications

Peter Robinson: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland how many planning applications have been referred to a management board in each local government area in Northern Ireland in each of the last five years; and how many were in favour of the applicant.

Angela Smith: The following table illustrates the number of planning applications that were referred to the planning service's management board for determination by each local council area in each year from 1 January 2000 to 31 September 2005, along with the number that were approved. A total of 905 applications were referred, 198 of which were approved.
	
		Number of management board referrals and approvals for each council area from 1 January 2000 to 31 September 2005
		
			  2000 2001 2002 
			 Council Referred Approved Referred Approved Referred Approved 
		
		
			 Antrim 1 0 2 2 0 0 
			 Ards 13 3 8 3 7 2 
			 Armagh 0 0 1 0 0 0 
			 Ballymena 4 3 5 2 4 0 
			 Ballymoney 11 0 2 0 2 0 
			 Banbridge 1 1 0 0 1 0 
			 Belfast 2 1 1 1 3 3 
			 Carrickfergus 6 5 7 6 3 2 
			 Castlereagh 16 5 3 2 4 1 
			 Coleraine 5 3 7 4 7 4 
			 Cooks town 8 0 0 0 2 1 
			 Craigavon 1 0 1 0 2 2 
			 Derry 0 0 1 1 0 0 
			 Down 0 0 0 0 0 0 
			 Dungannon and South Tyrone 1 0 4 0 0 0 
			 Fermanagh 6 1 17 1 12 0 
			 Larne 6 3 1 0 3 1 
			 Limavady 1 0 2 2 0 0 
			 Lisburn 0 0 5 0 9 5 
			 Magherafelt 8 1 8 0 20 0 
			 Moyle 4 0 1 0 8 2 
			 Newry and Mourne 1 0 3 0 9 2 
			 Newtownabbey 0 0 6 5 3 3 
			 North Down 5 3 19 16 14 12 
			 Omagh 3 0 0 0 4 1 
			 Strabane 3 2 0 0 6 0 
			 Total 106 35 104 46 123 39 
		
	
	
		
			  2003 2004 2005(so far) 
			 Council Referred Approved Referred Approved Referred Approved 
		
		
			 Antrim 0 0 0 0 2 0 
			 Ards 11 5 8 4 3 0 
			 Armagh 0 0 1 0 0 0 
			 Ballymena 3 0 1 0 1 0 
			 Ballymoney 2 2 1 0 4 0 
			 Banbridge 0 0 1 1 0 0 
			 Belfast 2 2 3 1 2 0 
			 Carrickfergus 4 4 3 2 6 0 
			 Castlereagh 2 1 4 1 5 0 
			 Coleraine 2 2 5 4 0 0 
			 Cooks town 1 0 10 0 3 0 
			 Craigavon 3 1 3 1 0 0 
			 Derry 0 0 0 0 0 0 
			 Down 0 0 0 0 0 0 
			 Dungannon and South Tyrone 1 0 1 0 0 0 
			 Fermanagh 6 0 3 0 0 0 
			 Larne 5 4 10 4 6 2 
			 Limavady 0 0 1 0 0 0 
			 Lisburn 10 1 14 5 162 0 
			 Magherafelt 25 1 5 0 4 0 
			 Moyle 10 3 5 0 10 0 
			 Newry and Mourne 21 0 19 6 3 0 
			 Newtownabbey 4 3 3 1 1 0 
			 North Down 13 11 14 8 4 0 
			 Omagh 21 0 77 1 14 0 
			 Strabane 0 0 0 0 4 0 
			 Total 146 39 192 39 234 2

Public Transport

Peter Robinson: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what plans he has to encourage the development in Northern Ireland of public transport that is more easily accessible.

Shaun Woodward: In April this year the Department for Regional Development published its Accessible Transport Strategy for Northern Ireland, the aim of which is to remove barriers to travel experienced by older people and people with disabilities. The associated Action Plan includes a wide range of projects to make public transport more accessible.
	Translink has received 48 million capital grant from the Department to buy 292 new fully accessible vehicles to be brought into service this year and next. Translink's 23 new trains comply with the Rail Vehicle Accessibility Regulations. DRD is also providing 6m capital grant to enable Translink to improve accessibility at train stations and halts.
	DRD is introducing demand responsive bus services to improve accessibility for those who are unable to access the conventional public transport network. These include door-to-door services in 29 urban areas for people with disabilities and two demand responsive transport pilots serving rural areas. The Rural Transport Fund will continue to support accessible services provided by 18 Rural Community Transport Partnerships across Northern Ireland.
	DRD is working closely with Translink to ensure that transport information is accessible to all and that disabled people are made aware of the range of new accessible transport opportunities becoming available.

Recycling

Iris Robinson: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland if he will make a statement on levels of recycling in the Province.

Angela Smith: I am encouraged by the increase in recycling levels within Northern Ireland, between 2002 and the last financial year. The municipal waste recycling rate more than doubled, increasing from 8.9 per cent. to a figure of 18.2 per cent. The household recycling rate increased from 10 per cent. to 18.2 per cent. The overall amount of household waste collected for recycling and composting increased by over 90 per cent. All district councils achieved increases in the household recycling rate and two district councils achieved a household recycling rate of almost 40 per cent.

Regional Rates

Gregory Campbell: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what the average percentage change in regional rates in Northern Ireland is expected to be over the next two financial years.

Angela Smith: The Draft Priorities and Budget 200608, published on 25 October 2005, sets out proposed increases in the Regional Domestic Rate of 19 per cent. in 200607 and 6 per cent. in 200708.
	For the Non-Domestic Regional Rate an increase of 3.3 per cent. is proposed for each year.
	These proposals are now subject to a period of public consultation, ahead of final decisions in early December.

Renewable Technologies

Peter Robinson: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what progress is being made with the provision of support for the development of renewable technologies in Northern Ireland.

Angela Smith: The Northern Ireland Renewables Obligation, which was introduced on 1 April 2005, is the main support mechanism for stimulating the supply of electricity from renewable sources and is available across all renewable technologies.
	In addition, the draft Budget proposal, announced on 25 October 2005 by my hon. Friend the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland, created a new Environment and Energy Fund to accelerate the development of renewable technologies.
	The Fund will complement and significantly enhance existing support initiatives by allocating 10 million in 200607 and 25 million in 200708 for capital investment in renewable energy with a further 5 million and 10 million in the respective years being earmarked for encouraging research and development of renewable forms of energy. This will help secure energy from biomass, waste, geothermal, solar and tidal stream power sources and will also encourage scope for the use of bio-fuels. Furthermore, it will, in turn, raise innovation and skills levels and also offer significant opportunities for the creation of new rural businesses involved in renewable energy supply. Additionally, householders will be assisted to incorporate renewable energy within their homes thereby reducing both their dependence on fossil fuels and also overall energy costs.

Schools

Sammy Wilson: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what steps he is taking to promote sport in schools in Northern Ireland.

Angela Smith: Physical Education is compulsory for all pupils because of its important contribution to health and fitness. Schools are encouraged to give pupils at least two hours of PE a week and provide a range of sporting activities to develop all pupils and make the subject enjoyable. The Sports Council's Youth Sport programme supports a number of projects across primary and post-primary schools to help young people develop in a range of sports.

Schools

Peter Robinson: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland how many schools are broadband enabled in Northern Ireland.

Angela Smith: Of a total of 1,189 grant-aided schools, 1,181 have broadband access. The Department of Education does not hold information relating to broadband access in the 17 independent schools.

Schools

Peter Robinson: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what his assessment is of the level of sectarianism in schools in Northern Ireland; and what measures he proposes to take to tackle the issue.

Angela Smith: The Department of Education does not make a formal assessment of sectarianism in schools. However, it believes that education has a key role in addressing the causes of sectarianism, which continues to be a challenge in Northern Irish society.
	Schools are currently required to teach the cross-curricular themes of Education for Mutual Understanding and Cultural Heritage, which aim to foster improved community relations. This will continue with the introduction of Citizenship Education as a key theme of the revised curriculum.
	To support this Scheme, the Department funds the Schools' Community Relations Programme which aims to encourage schools to bring together young people from across the community divide through programmes of activity designed to promote community relations in schools.
	The Department is also committed to progressing the recommendations for education as set out in A Shared Future. The recommendations include co-ordinated action involving schools, teacher training, curricular development and the Youth Service to promote better relations among young people.

Services (Older People)

William McCrea: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what recent steps have been taken towards the improvement of services for older people in Northern Ireland.

Angela Smith: The Older People's Strategy, Ageing in an Inclusive Society was launched in March 2005 and includes an Implementation Plan which identifies actions for Northern Ireland Government Departments aimed at, among other things, improving the services of older people.
	A review of progress will be undertaken in mid November and I will place a report in the Library at that time.

Social Housing

Nigel Dodds: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland how many social housing new build completions there have been in each year since 2001 in Northern Ireland.

David Hanson: The number of social houses completed is as follows:
	
		
			  Number 
		
		
			 200102 1,763 
			 200203 1,295 
			 200304 854 
			 200405 1,073 
		
	
	The figures include new build and houses purchased from the open market either in good condition or for rehabilitation, prior to letting. All are additions to social housing stock.

Social Security Agency

Gregory Campbell: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland how many (a) Protestant, (b) Roman Catholic and (c) non-determined appointees there have been to the Social Security Agency in Northern Ireland in the last 12 months.

David Hanson: It is not possible to give details of the community background of staff appointed to the Social Security Agency over the last 12 months as it is an offence under the Fair Employment and Treatment (NI) Order 1998 (subject to specified exceptions) to disclose information on the community background of staff which has been obtained or used for the purposes of monitoring.

Staff Assaults

Iris Robinson: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what costs were incurred by the Department of Health, Social Services and Public Safety resulting from attacks on front line hospital staff in (a) treatment, (b) lost working hours and (c) resignation of staff in the last three years; and if he will make a statement.

Shaun Woodward: The information requested is not readily available and can be provided only at disproportionate cost.

Stranmillis College

Lady Hermon: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland if he will list those organisations and individuals who responded to the consultation process on the governance arrangements to be adopted following incorporation of the Stranmillis College Equality Impact Assessment; and which organisations and individuals proposed the removal of the Transferor representatives from the Governing Body of Stranmillis.

Angela Smith: Following the proposal to establish Stranmillis University College as a legally independent higher education institution accountable to a corporate governing body, an Equality Impact Assessment (EQIA) was conducted on the specific governance arrangements to be subsequently detailed in the Instrument of Government, as provided for in the then draft order. The Equality Impact Assessment was issued for public consultation in March 2005.
	The organisations and individuals who responded to the consultation process were:
	Board of Education of the Methodist Church in Ireland;
	Church of Ireland Board of Education Northern Ireland;
	Disability Action;
	General Assembly of the Presbyterian Church in Ireland;
	James Nelson and Norman Richardson (Lecturers in Religious Studies at Stranmillis University College);
	John Erskine (of the Library at Stranmillis University College);
	Northern Ireland Regional Office of NATFHE;
	Stranmillis University College Board of Governors;
	Stranmillis University College Branch of NATFHE; and
	Transferor Representatives Council.
	The organisations and individuals that did not support continued representation by the three main Protestant Churches on the Board of Governors were:
	James Nelson and Norman Richardson (Lecturers in Religious Studies at Stranmillis University College);
	Northern Ireland Regional Office of NATFHE;
	Stranmillis University College Board of Governors; and
	Stranmillis University College Branch of NATFHE.

Teacher Assaults

Sammy Wilson: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland how many school teachers were (a) physically and (b) verbally abused by (i) pupils and (ii) parents in the Province in each of the last five years.

Angela Smith: The Department of Education does not collect the requested information. However in relation to pupils, from the 200203 school year, statistics on the reasons for suspensions have been gathered annually from each Education and Library Board. The following tables illustrate the number of suspensions for verbal abuse of, and physical attacks on, staff for the 200203 and 200304 school years:
	
		Suspensions for abuse of staff by pupils in the school year
		
			 Reason for suspension Male Female Total 
		
		
			 200203
			 Verbal abuse of staff 1,683 343 2,026 
			 Physical attack on staff 320 45 365 
			 200304
			 Verbal abuse of staff 1,867 403 2,270 
			 Physical attack on staff 281 39 320 
		
	
	It should be noted that these figures relate to the number of individual suspensions not to the number of pupils suspended. These figures are also available on the Department's website www.deni.gov.uk/facts_figures/education_stats/suspension_stats.htm. Statistics are not yet available for the 200405 school year.

Teacher Assaults

Gregory Campbell: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland how many instances there have been of attacks on teaching staff in schools in Northern Ireland during the course of their work in each of the last five years.

Angela Smith: The Department of Education does not collect the requested information. However, from the 2002/03 school year, statistics on the reasons for suspensions have been gathered annually from each Education and Library Board. The following tables illustrate the number of suspensions for verbal abuse of, and physical attacks on, staff for the 2002/03 and 2003/04 school years:
	
		Number of suspensions for abuse of staff by pupils in the 200203 school year
		
			  Reason for suspension 
			  Verbal abuse of staff Physical attack on staff 
		
		
			 Male 1,683 320 
			 Female 343 45 
			 Total 2,026 365 
		
	
	
		Number of suspensions for abuse of staff by pupils in the 2003/04 school year
		
			  Reason for suspension 
			  Verbal abuse of staff Physical attack on staff 
		
		
			 Male 1,867 281 
			 Female 403 39 
			 Total 2,270 320 
		
	
	It should be noted that these figures relate to the number of individual suspensions not to the number of pupils suspended.
	These figures are available on the Department's website at:
	www.deni.gov.uk/facts_figures/education_stats/suspension_stats.htm
	Statistics are not yet available for the 2004/05 school year.

Teenage Smokers

Gregory Campbell: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what percentage of (a) female and (b) male secondary level sixth formers at schools in Northern Ireland are estimated to be smokers.

Angela Smith: Information for sixth form pupils is not available. However, the Continuous Household Survey results for 200405 showed that 29 per cent. of 16 to 24-year-olds smoke.

University Admissions

Peter Robinson: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland whether it is his policy to offer financial support to enable people in Northern Ireland to return to university following redundancy.

Angela Smith: There is no specific financial support targeted at people returning to university after redundancy. A comprehensive package of student support is available for all eligible students entering higher education including means tested fee remission and bursaries aimed at less well off students, as well as maintenance loans. This support is available for students undertaking their first primary degree.

Winter Fuel Payments

Iris Robinson: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland how many people have received winter fuel payments in (a) Strangford and (b) all other constituencies in the Province; and if he will make a statement.

David Hanson: The following table shows the number of awards of winter fuel payments for 200405 which is the latest year for which the information is available. Strangford constituency has been highlighted in italic.
	
		
			 Parliamentary constituency Total 
		
		
			 Belfast East 17,334 
			 Belfast North 16,212 
			 Belfast South 15,276 
			 Belfast West 12,424 
			 East Antrim 15,344 
			 East Londonderry 14,566 
			 Fermanagh and South Tyrone 14,464 
			 Foyle 13,409 
			 Lagan Valley 17,952 
			 Mid Ulster 12,527 
			 Newry and Armagh 15,623 
			 North Antrim 19,257 
			 North Down 18,288 
			 South Antrim 16,347 
			 South Down 16,758 
			 Strangford 17,910 
			 Upper Bann 16,833 
			 West Tyrone 12,643 
			 Missing postcode 676 
			 Total 283,843